The Twilight Guild
by Sic Et Non
Summary: When Charlie Swan’s daughter is threatened he will do anything and everything to protect her ... Even entrust her safety to a guild of assassins ... AU/AH
1. Chapter 1

The Twilight Guild

Disclaimer – Unfortunately, I own nothing. Twilight is the property of Stephanie Meyers and I earn nothing from this endeavour to play in her world for a while.

AN – This is an idea I've had in my head for awhile now and I finally feel happy enough to put this first chapter up. This is more of the prequel to the start of the story, as you won't be seeing much more of Charlie I'm afraid but you do get the Cullen's so it's a good trade, I think. Hope you enjoy!

When Charlie Swan's daughter is threatened he will do anything and everything to protect her ... Even entrust her safety to a guild of assassins ...

--

Charlie Swan was frantic, the conversation that had happened not moments ago still running through his mind. He had to get home. Get home to his life, his daughter. His only comfort right now was that they hadn't seen him. They didn't know that he knew.

Why was he a man of the law? This job that he had worked so hard most of his life to get now put it into the uttermost danger. Oh, not his life but his daughters. He had gone tonight to an apparently empty warehouse with the aim of receiving intelligence that could help put down one of the biggest crime families in the country. Oh, he had got intelligence alright.

They knew they were being investigated, knew that him and his division were getting awful close to having too much evidence on them. Evidence even their fancy, high paid crook lawyers could not get them out of. They knew they had to take action.

Why his daughter? He didn't even know why he'd asked the question, the answer being so obvious. He was the head of his division, the one in charge of all the operations. His word went. He had worked hard for his position, earned the respect of the men he worked for and men who worked for him. Anybody in the area could tell you that Charlie Swan was a man of the law.

They could also tell you that he was the most devoted father in the world. His daughter meant everything to him. After his wife was gone the only thing that mattered to him was his only child. He cared for his friends, his work and his colleagues but nothing like he cared for his daughter. She was the reason behind his every move, his reason for trying so hard. His daughter was the most amazing thing and he was desperate that he should be a father she could be proud of.

And now what had he done? He'd put her in danger. One of the worst kinds of danger. He was a cop, he knew the statistics. When the mob was out to get you they got you. It was only a matter of time. And he didn't know what they would do with her. He knew why. If they had her he'd drop the case, hell he'd clear everyone who was ever connected with that families' name. To get his daughter back, to have her safe Charlie Swan would do anything.

With a quick shake of his head he groaned. He was panicking, with good reason, but still panicking. He needed to calm down. She was still safe, they hadn't got her yet. And they weren't going to get her. With a fierce rush of parental protectiveness he sped up, anxious to get home. To make sure.

But what was he to do once he got there. He could not protect her himself, this much he knew. Oh, he was a good cop and he knew how to fight and defend but he would be no match for the men coming to get his daughter. So fight fire with fire.

The idea struck him with such suddenness he almost gasped aloud. And even though his law abiding self shuddered at the thought he knew it was the right thing to do, knew as a father it was all he could do, knew that it would keep his daughter safe. The memory of the past events flashed before his eyes, taking him back years as he placed the phone call that would help determine his daughter's fate.

_It was an all out shoot out, the sound of firearms discharge in every direction. You weren't sure who was shooting at who anymore, or who was winning. At this stage it barely mattered, most would be dead or severely injured when the end finally came. _

_Charlie himself had been clipped by a bullet within the first moments of the fray but as it was not his shooting arm he ignored the injury. Their intelligence had been sorely lacking, the division was not prepared for this all out warfare. Squinting, he tried to see through the hazy mist that was leaking from somewhere, making it hard to see. What he did see angered him._

_Several uniform clad bodies lay out in front of him, some alive and some clearly dead. And not twenty yards in front of him two of the crooks they had come to take down today were sneaking out of a side entrance, obviously carrying some of their stock with them. _

_Looking around Charlie knew it was just him, he could see no one else, did not have the means to communicate with anyone without giving his position away, and he would not just stand here while they so obviously escaped. Moving doubled over, to avoid being seen or further injured, he moved as quickly as he could to follow. The alley outside was little better for visual conditions but he could hear much better now and it was clear that the crooks he was following had stopped to discuss something. From their tones they thought they were safe. Wrong._

_He moved as quietly as he could, getting closer as he crept forward until he could finally see their silhouettes. One had his back to him while the other tugged frantically at his hair. His eyes widened when he saw Charlie but it was too late. His partner went down hard, Charlie using the butt of his gun to knock him heavily out. He wanted to take these guys in, wanted them to be punished by the law for breaking it. He swung his other fist out but wasn't quiet quick enough, only clipping the other mans' shoulder._

_He dove, crashing into Charlie's waist and sending them both crashing to the ground. They rolled for a moment, each trying to get the upper hand until Charlie ended on top. Winding his fist back he sent it crashing into the man's jaw, knocking his head to the side with the blow. As he prepared to knock him out there was a yell from behind him and he was suddenly on his back, several feet away. More of the crooks had used the side entrance to escape. _

_What happened next took the breath out of Charlie in complete and utter shock. Three men were advancing on him, a fourth bending down to check on their unconscious friends. But their advance stopped with a blur of blonde hair. Within seconds two of the three were on the ground, dead, necks clearly snapped. In front of the third stood what had to be one of the most gorgeous women to grace the earth. Even her face, which was set into a deadly snarl, was still somehow beautiful. _

"_Hello Royce; Royce King the second." Even her voice was beautiful, though her tone was deadly. The man in front of her quivered. Her scowl morphed into a sinister, yet still somehow gorgeous, smile. _

"_Don't tell me you're afraid of little old me? How dangerous could I be? After all, I was your fiancé; I was the most beautiful girl in town! A girl like that couldn't possibly be frightening." Yet she was, Charlie wasn't even her intended target and he was still scared. _

"_Rose-" Even the man's voice quivered. She shook her head fiercely, blonde hair flying side to side._

"_Don't you dare!" She snarled out. "The days of my falling for your charms are over, I am not your 'lovely' anymore! Hell, I'm not even 'lovely' period, you ruined that when you ruined me! When you raped me!" Her words sent a chill through Charlie and he suddenly realized that this was something other, this situation he now found himself in had nothing to do with the corporation they had come to break up today for counterfeiting money. That didn't mean the crime was any less punishable, maybe even more so. _

"_You should have known, even with the little knowledge you had of me that I would not let you get away with it." If the man had not been aware of where this was heading he was now, his face taking on a mask of terror. And he even tried to run. _

_With a flash of blonde as the only indication that the girl had moved, there was a loud snap. It somewhat echoed in the air, followed with a gargle. This was not like the other men, whose necks this girl had clearly and neatly broken. This man was suffering and in pain as he died, with his blonde reaper standing over him watching. _

_Charlie didn't know what to think. His natural instincts shied away from this girl, who killed so easily. He would put up no better fight than any of the other men already dead in the alley. But his sense of duty was there, demanding that he approach this girl and take her in, she had committed no less than three murders in front of him. In front of an armed and uniformed policeman. And yet some part of him felt this was her due, that she was owed this. It seemed somewhat small in comparison to the crimes this man and perhaps his friends as well had reaped upon her. _

_Something suddenly clicked in Charlie's brain. Three of the men where dead, but four had come outside. Heaving himself into a sitting position Charlie gripped his gun tightly in his hand, raising it even as the scene in front of him was still registering in his mind. _

"_ROSE!" Charlie's gun went off as the blonde turned to face him, her eyes wide. The sound seemed to echo around the alley, even as several people rushed towards them. _

_And the man who had had his gun pointed at her, not more than a few yards away, slumped over; dead. _

"_Rose!" One of the men grabbed the blonde and crushed her to his chest, seeming to mutter incoherently against her head. The other two stood in between the couple and Charlie, looking over the scene. _

"_It seems we have a great deal to thank you for, officer." The oldest of the men stepped forward carefully, slowing, raising his arms to show he was unarmed. His pale skin and blonde hair glowed in the misty fog that was spreading down the alleyway. He reached forward and placed a hand on Charlie's shoulder, helping him stand. _

_He honestly didn't know what to think. His gut instinct was telling him that these people broke the law, that they broke it often and with a style that meant they never got caught. As an officer it was his duty to take them in, make sure they received punishment for breaking the law. But it felt wrong somehow. From the look on the man who was helping him stand face he was waiting for an answer. Honesty was usually the best policy._

"_I don't know what to think." His answer seemed to somewhat amused the other man standing alongside him, also blonde. _

"_Thank you for being truthful, we know this is an unusual situation you find yourself in and it shows you character that you meet such a situation and rise above it." His words left Charlie somewhat swelling with pride. He could handle this type of situation well._

"_So what happens now?" He asked, knowing somehow that things were about to change._

"_That would be up to you." The elder replied, stepping away from him now he could stand on his own. "You have saved my daughter's life, we are in debt to you, it is your decision as to where we go from now." And Charlie was suddenly very aware of the fours gazes on him. But what to do?_

_As a man of the law the path was clear, the law had been broken and those who committed the crime should be punished. So why was he hesitating? Again, he didn't know. A few things were starting to make sense though._

"_You're assassins." He stated boldly, knowing he was right. It was in their stances, the way they held themselves. In their eyes. Plus the girl had moved so quickly, efficiently..._

"_Yes." No more of an answer was needed but the man continued. "My name is Carlisle Cullen; I am the head of a guild of assassins, made up mostly of members of my family." Charlie nodded, having no idea how else to respond. They were still waiting for him. _

_He should inform them of their impending arrest and yet, he couldn't do it. He could be dead by now. They could simply kill him and leave. There was nothing holding them here except this debt they had to him for saving one of their own. They had honour. And that was what decided him._

_He opened his mouth but couldn't quite make himself say the words. It went against most of what he believed in so he simple shook his head, knowing they'd understand. And they did, their stances relaxing and the girl even attempting a small smile that was still beautiful even though it was weak._

"_We cannot thank you enough, we owe you a great debt." Carlisle stated, reaching within his pocket and producing a small card. "If you are ever in need of anything, just call. We settle our debts." Charlie accepted the card with a nod, looking down to the simple stationary that held contact details he doubted he would ever use_. _By the time he looked up again, they were gone._

He shook his head at the memory, hoping they still held firm to their beliefs. Was he really going to do this? Was he really going to put his only daughter into the care of a guild of assassins? Yes, because they could protect her. Protect her far better than he could.

Pulling up to his home he hurried inside, careful not to look too out of the ordinary. They could be watching the house already, preparing to make a move. He hoped not, all he needed was a little time to get his daughter out, to get her away.

He paused as he entered his daughter's room, at the sight of her asleep with her hair fanned across the pillow. She was like a jewel, a precious gem that must be protected. With a sigh of regret for having to wake her, especially with such news, he leaned forward to shake her shoulder.

"Bella." She turned, mumbling in her sleep. "Bella, you need to wake up." She stirred again, eyes slowly blinking open.

"Dad?"

"Bells, you need to get up and get dressed, quick as you can. Dress in something comfy to travel in."

"Dad? What-"

"I'll explain everything on the way, Bells promise, but you need to get moving. We need to leave as quickly as possible." She nodded, quickly throwing the covers off of herself and swinging her legs off the bed. "Oh, and pack a small overnight bag."

Satisfied she was moving and following his instructions Charlie left and entered his own bedroom, striding quickly over to his wardrobe, opening and pushing the contents to one side before reaching up.

When he'd first joined the division he'd heard stories of what could happen to the good guys if the bad guys ever wanted to track them down. Sometimes people, even whole families, had to just disappear. And that took funds, equipment. You had to be prepared.

So, like in the movies Charlie had set up a secret vault in the corner of his wardrobe. They said such things were usually put in places of significance to their owners. Anyone who knew Charlie could say for certainty that his appearance was never one of his top concerns. His wardrobe did, however, hold his uniform and so was a place of importance for Charlie. It would not seem so to a stranger. Not that it mattered now, he was emptying it all for Bella. Anything to keep her safe.

They met on the landing, each with a small bag in their hands. Charlie nodded, leading the way to the car and quickly joining the familiar road. His phone buzzed, signalling a received text, the content of which making him sigh. This would work. This had to work.

"Dad?" His daughter's voice was quiet but held an undertone. She wanted an explanation of his actions and her stubborn streak meant he'd only be able to tell her the truth. He sighed again, he would have to tell her. Maybe it was better if she did know but he'd prefer that she didn't. There was only so much he could do. Well, she did want to know...

--

AN – Hope you liked and please let me know what you think! Should have the next update in a few days, if you're interested!


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer – Not mine. Stephenie Meyer owns all. I'm just playing, making no profit but having a whale of a time with her characters.

A/N – Sorry for the long wait, this chapter, and my writing style, have had a massive overhaul and I hope it has improved the story and my writing in general. As such, many thanks need to be given out. First, OCD_Indeed who has been absolutely amazing and second, to demeterloves2, Eclispedofsoul and psvtiger, all of who have been great support and without whom this chapter would not be here. Especially demeterloves2, who rocks (my socks, lol).

Thank you to everyone who reviewed the first chapter, you guys have no idea what it means to me. A big shout out to all those who commented on my banner, it's the first I've ever done on my own, so thanks! And to all those who noted the rating difference for this story on the different websites, I honestly hadn't noticed so thanks for pointing it out!

And sorry for the long author note but there is more. In this chapter there are mentions of violence, both fighting techniques and guns, so I'm giving you a **warning** now. They are just mentions but I still think you guys should be warned; I get that this type of stuff won't be all your cup of teas. And while I have done my research, anything I have gotten wrong I claim artistic license for. Hope you guys still like.

Full summary:

When Charlie Swan's daughter is threatened he will do anything and everything to protect her ... Even entrust her safety to a guild of assassins ...

Assassins ... Thieves ... murderers ... protectors? The Cullen family have been many things with many faces but the introduction of this one innocent is about to change their world for good.

Chapter Two 

This situation, Bella Swan decided, was very bizarre. She was in her father's car, on a highway, late at night. It was a perfectly normal thing; ordinary really. What made it bizarre was what her father had just informed her of: that because of her father's work, she was on the mob's most wanted list and to protect her, her father was calling in a favour with a family of assassins. Not normal, not ordinary, and most definitely bizarre.

Bella really didn't know how to react to this. It was clear that she didn't have a choice, though she doubted she could even think up anything that could protect her from the mob, let alone put it into action. But it was also clear that her father was scared. Terrified even; for her.

There were only a few times in Bella's life that she could remember her father being scared. Even with his type of job Charlie was laid back and calm. He was the type of man that was hardly ever ruffled. Some of his cases made headline news, involving some of America's biggest crime families; yet she could never remember him coming home from work or even leaving for it scared. But Charlie was scared now. Even if he was acting calm for her, it was in his eyes.

Well, Bella could act calm too. If he was going to remain calm for her, she would remain calm for him as well. This situation might be bizarre and she might be scared, but Charlie was not going to know about it. Bella felt that she owed him that.

"So, where are we going now?" Bella asked. She had no clue as to what was going on, so it was best to try and get as much information out of her father as possible. Who knew what these ... assassins ... _gulp_ ... were like. It was bad enough that Bella was about to meet real-life assassins, but she was clueless about what to expect. What would they be like? It wasn't as if Bella had been around a lot of assassins or anything.

"Carlisle, he's the head of the family, suggested a meeting point a couple of hours away. It's a mid-way point between us and them," Charlie answered. Bella heard the break in his voice and tensed, already knowing that she wasn't going to like what was coming.

"Okay, so they live where?"She questioned. Her father swallowed hard which got her attention instantly. He gave her a quick sideways glance, checking on her before answering.

"I don't know Bells." She opened her mouth but he cut her off. "I can't know. I'm not taking any chances. I have a contact number, otherwise I know nothing. Don't worry, Bella. You'll be able to contact me, we'll keep in touch. I just can't know anything."

It made sense, Bella knew that. It didn't make her happy, though. Ever since her mother ... well, her father had been her rock. Charlie was stability, safety, and comfort. He was all Bella had ever known. It had always been just the two of them. They were a team, father and daughter, best friends. All she'd ever known was the two of them. Bella really didn't know how to do things without her father there with her.

"It's going to be okay, Bella," Charlie's voice broke softly as he tried to comfort her. "Just remember that this is only temporary. It's not gonna be forever, and once it all blows over, you'll be able to come back home." His tone wavered and Bella knew that Charlie doubted his words just as much as she did. Didn't mean she could let him know.

"I know Dad. You'll be the cop to their robber and everybody will end up where they belong." Charlie laughed at her childhood reference and, for that moment, all his worry vanished. Bella suddenly had the strongest urge to just keep her father laughing for the rest of their journey, to keep the worry at bay. It would probably do them both some good, but it wouldn't be right. Bella didn't want to spend her last moments with her father faking being happy. She caught herself. No, not her last moments just ... her last moments _for awhile_. She would see her father again. Charlie wasn't doing all this to take a defeatism attitude so neither would she. Bella would be well protected, Charlie had emphasized that, and she had to trust in him. If she couldn't trust her own father how would she trust these people who were about to become her guardians? Charlie trusted them, spoke of them highly, and stressed that their occupation wasn't something to be off putting.

Assassins weren't supposed to be off putting.

If ... _when_ ... when this all blew over Bella made a mental note to have a talk with her father about what _should_ make a person uneasy and what definitely _did_. Assassins were people who murdered by surprise attack, usually part of a plot to eliminate a prominent person. They were murderers. Bella was still reeling over the part where her law abiding father, chief of one of the highest police divisions in their state, was friends with assassins. It probably wasn't the worst or biggest piece of information she'd been given tonight, but it was important to her. It struck a chord inside of her to think of Charlie letting these people go once upon a time. It didn't really make sense, didn't fit with the man she knew her father was.

"Try to get some sleep, Bells. We've still got a while to go yet." Settling back into her seat, Bella couldn't help but think that her father was right in more ways than one. This was really just the start. And hopefully they'd get their happy ending.

--

Once again, Bella woke to her father's voice and a gentle shake. Blinking rapidly, she could see the early light of dawn and, as she yawned, could tell that the car had stopped. They were here. That meant goodbye.

Looking around, Bella recognized the place as a service stop car park. Charlie had parked in the corner, just shy of being in total darkness and Bella quickly noted that bit of information. She had a feeling her perceptiveness would come in handy for her trip away.

"We're meeting them inside. Not the whole family, but not just Carlisle either. We should ..." Charlie nodded in the direction of the service stop's restaurant, but Bella noticed he made no move to leave. Both of them just stood and stared. She could feel the weight of her emotions building, just waiting for something to set her off. No matter what, though, her father would not see her cry. She would not give him that mental picture.

"Bells, you're gonna be safe, I promise," his words, softly spoken, propelled Bella into his arms. They hugged for a moment, both breathing deeply to take with them that familiar scent and feeling; the feeling and knowledge of home. Charlie pulled away first, cleared his throat, and nodded his head toward the restaurant.

"Come on, we're gonna be late and we don't want to give a bad impression to these folks. You know what Grandma Swan always said, you should never leave people waiting for you." Bella smiled at the familiarity of her grandmother's words, yet doubted she would have used them in this situation. Still, her father was trying. He was trying to make this normal, comfortable, and easy. He wasn't succeeding but Bella had to give him merit for trying.

"Yeah, Grandma wouldn't be very impressed with us. Let's go make her proud," Bella mused and started walking. She hadn't gotten very far when she heard him mumble, "You're making me proud, Bells, so proud."

They walked side by side, quickly crossing the car park, and approaching the entrance of the restaurant. Charlie pulled the door open and Bella found herself instantly searching the room for these strangers. She knew she didn't know what they looked like, but she still had a feeling that when she saw them she'd know. Seconds later, her eyes connected with a lovely shade of light hazel.

"They're here," Charlie announced. He placed his hand on her lower back and they began walking to the corner of the room, where four people sat. Bella couldn't look away from the man's eyes as she and Charlie approached the strangers.

The man was young, younger than Bella had expected. His blonde hair and pale skin gave him a unique, handsome look, but it was his hazel eyes, eyes that held infinite knowledge, that made his face so attractive. There was an air of quiet authority around him, and those who sat at his table all seemed to gravitate towards him slightly. He was definitely the leader of this group.

There were four of them, just as Charlie had said, and they formed two couples. It was not overtly obvious, but they sat closer to their partners with entwined hands and shoulders touching. The show of affection and care almost caused her to forget that she was being put into the care of cold-blooded killers. It gave her a little more faith that this would be alright.

The one thing that stood out the most was that they were all beautiful; each in their own way but all obvious. Bella could be meeting models for all the strangers around them knew. And she supposed that helped them. People would see pretty faces and not think much more about them. Being this attractive was part of their disguise, part of their job. It made Bella realize that these people in front of her were very intelligent.

"Charlie," the blonde man greeted, once they were seated.

"Carlisle, I really can't thank you enough for agreeing to this," Charlie murmured.

"No need to thank me, Charlie. As I said before, we repay our debts. You saved one of our own. It is a privilege that you should trust us to help with your loved one and this situation." As he spoke, Bella looked over at the other people sitting at the table and received two friendly smiles. The other man simply nodded before returning his concentration to the conversation.

"I ... I really didn't know where else to turn," Charlie sighed. His voice was soft again and Bella couldn't help but reach out to him. He smiled reassuringly at her before looking up again. "I haven't done a report yet. I wanted to give you as much time as possible. As soon as it's in writing, they'll know that I know." Carlisle nodded and opened his mouth but was interrupted by a tug on his hand by his companion. Their eyes locked and the beautiful, caramel haired woman raised an eyebrow, to only receive a confused look in return. She sighed.

"I see my husband is in full business mode and has forgotten the etiquette of first meetings. I apologize for his rudeness," the woman mused. Carlisle cocked an eyebrow and Bella couldn't help but smile at them.

"You forgot the introductions, Carlisle," she stated and he smiled and nodded.

"Oh, how very rude of me, I do apologize, Bella. My name is Carlisle Cullen and this is my wife, Esme." The woman smiled and Bella smiled softly back. "These are two of our children, Jasper Hale and Alice Cullen," Esme introduced. The other woman, who closely resembled a pixie, waved and grinned while her partner simply nodded again.

"Bella Swan," she stated and then wondered if she got to keep her name. All Bella knew of witness protection, which was kind of how she was seeing this whole trip away with strange people, was that you moved away into an unknown area, where you changed your name and became a whole new person. Was that what was going to happen here? Bella really couldn't help the frown that marred her face.

"It's strange I know," Bella looked up to see that the smooth, deep, southern accented voice belonged to Jasper. "This really is a unique situation, but we promise you now Bella, and you Chief Swan, that we will do everything in our power to get you through this. We won't discuss much more here, we're far too much in the open, but have that knowledge at the very least. You know what we are, you know what we do, and you know who's after you. They'll be no match for us," Jasper stated. His voice resounded in confidence and somehow made Bella feel confident as well. He made her feel that this would all be okay and that she really would get through this.

"Everything will be fine, Bella. Trust me, I know these things," Alice added. She winked and Bella had to smile. Something about the people in front of her put Bella at ease. Even knowing what they were, she still found them to be very human. It was as if this whole meeting was a pleasant affair, not based around someone being protected from the mob.

The reminder that she was, in fact, running from the mob made Bella feel afraid and uneasy again. Charlie cleared his throat.

"Bells, I have to go. I gotta be on time for work and all. I'll file the report today and let my colleagues know," he directed toward Carlisle and stood up, bringing Bella's hand up with him. For a moment he stood as she sat and gazed up at him. Leaning over her, Charlie kissed her forehead and squeezed her hand before easing her grip from his.

"Love you, Bells, never forget that. This'll be over soon and you'll be home where you belong," he assured. Bella just nodded, fighting the tears she had promised herself she would not cry.

"Love you too, Dad. Be safe," she whispered. Her favourite smile appeared on his face for the briefest moment and Bella took a mental picture so she wouldn't forget it. Who knows how long it would be until they saw each other again.

"Carlisle," Charlie offered his hand and Carlisle immediately stood to take it.

"Charlie," Charlie nodded at him before turning and striding out of the restaurant. Bella watched him until the darkness swallowed him.

"Bella, dear?" Esme's soft voice brought Bella back to the present. She turned around to see that all four of them were just sitting there, staring at her. Bella blushed at the attention. Alice laughed and Esme smiled warmly.

"Are you hungry? We could eat something here before getting back on the road. It will be a couple of hours until we reach our home," Esme explained but Bella shook her head.

"No thanks, I'm still thinking it's the middle of the night so I'm not really hungry." Carlisle nodded.

"Of course, shall we depart then?" Nobody responded but they all stood up. It was a graceful movement, a simple straightening of their bodies but it gave the impression of control. They knew how to make their bodies move in the most efficient ways. Bella felt ungraceful just standing next to these people and they hadn't even seen how clumsy she could be yet.

"Do you mind if I sit next to you Bella? Then we can chat and I can answer any questions you might have?" Alice asked, tipping her head to the side and smiling softly. Bella nodded and followed them out to a Mercedes S-Class. She only knew the model because it was the exact car that Charlie's team drooled over. The only thing Bella knew about the thing, however, was that it cost a lot more than the pay-checks the police officer's earned.

For the next three hours, Bella sat beside Alice and asked all the questions she could think of, while Alice informed her of things Bella would never dared to have asked but wanted to know anyway.

"Don't worry, Bella. We won't get upset, you can ask anything. We want you to be comfortable with us and in our home. It's going to be your home for a little while too," Alice assured.

So Bella had discovered Carlisle was actually a doctor, and worked part time at the local hospital when not on assignment. They referred to all their work as assignments. Bella didn't really ask about it and it was the one thing Alice never elaborated on. Bella learnt that Carlisle and Esme had been married for many years and that even though Esme knew how to fight, she rarely went on assignments. Their children, all five of whom were adopted, had all chosen to become part of the 'family business'. It was a choice Carlisle had made sure none of them took lightly, but that he supported completely. He also made sure they all knew that they had other options. One thing was for sure, Carlisle and Esme obviously only wanted the best for their family. Bella couldn't help but be touched by this fact. Who would have thought there was such a thing as compassion amongst assassins?

"Okay, so Carlisle's father was a preacher yet once night fell, he became a kind of vigilante and that's how this guild got set up? It really is a family business?" Bella asked warily. Light was just beginning to creep up over the horizon and Bella knew that the three hour drive was almost over. She kept fighting sleep, noticing none of the others in the car showed the least bit fatigue. Bella actually envied them a bit.

"Yes, it was all very strange for me back then. I think he meant to keep it a secret from me, but that just wasn't feasible. So he sat me down one day and explained what he did. He said that even though he was a preacher and believed in God and His ways of justice, sometimes God just didn't work fast enough. My father felt that sometimes people had to die to ensure the greater good. It was never something he took lightly, and he knew he would be punished for his sins; however, he honestly believed that it was right. He passed that belief on to me. Our job is a dirty one, yes, but once the dirt is gone then you are left with cleanliness and purity. Goodness." Carlisle's explanation made Bella sit back in her seat and think. They'd answered all of her questions, told her about themselves, and about their job but she didn't really get why. Surely she was just another assignment for them?

"You have a question," Jasper stated and Bella looked up to find him studying her.

"Yes ... I was just wondering, well, why? Why are you telling me all this? Why are you being so nice to me?" Bella wondered. Esme turned from the front seat to smile at her.

"Bella, we know this is a very unusual situation and that there is a part of you that needs this information to be able to trust us. We want you to be comfortable, to feel like part of this family while you are staying with us. You are not a job to us. Charlie is very highly respected in our home for a deed he did not that long ago, and we are so very pleased we could help him when he needed it. He never truly understood what he did for us, and we shall be saying our thanks to him forever more. You are our guest, Bella, please do not be afraid."

Bella realized then that she wasn't frightened, which was slightly disturbing to her. These people could kill her without any effort and yet, they made her feel so at ease. Maybe that was a part of their job, to put those around them at ease and make them comfortable while they did their business. Bella really didn't know. She did know, however, that she was already starting to trust these people and did have faith that they could protect her.

"I'm not afraid," she assured and the tension in the car lifted. Esme beamed at her as Alice laughed.

"Good. Just remember that when you meet Rosalie," the pixie-like girl mused. Bella raised an eyebrow and was about to ask about Rosalie when she was distracted by the huge iron gates the car was pulling through.

Bella's jaw dropped as the car travelled up the driveway that lead to the massive mansion now before her. It was white, with columns that surrounded the wooden double front doors and had to be at least three stories high. Tall, wide windows reflected the glinting of the first rays of the sun and balconies surrounded the larger ones. This had to be some kind of a palace.

"This is your home?" Bella gasped, earning laughs as the car was parked to the side of the door.

"Esme likes to buy and restore old houses. You wouldn't believe the dump this place was just a year ago," Alice informed as she lead the way inside.

"Are you serious, a year?" Bella didn't know much about construction, but she was pretty sure a place like this would take more than a year to restore.

Walking through the front door brought them to a wide open foyer, sunshine softly spilling in through the huge windows. Bella fought to hold in a gasp as she stared at the staircase straight in front of them. It was a dual staircase, held up with columns and adorned with intricate iron metal work as the banisters. The stairs met in the middle, forming a small balcony on the upper level, and Bella knew this was the type of staircase that appeared in fairytales; the prince waiting as his lady love appeared at the balcony and then watching as she walked down towards him.

This place was beautiful and magnificent and Bella had only seen the outside and the foyer so far. She couldn't imagine what the rest of the house looked like.

"One year?" She repeated in a daze.

"We work fast." With Alice's reply, Bella got her first glimpse of the assassin inside the young woman; her voice had darkened with black humour and her eyes sparked knowingly. As quickly as it appeared, it was gone and Bella was thankful. Just because she knew what they were didn't mean she was ready to reconcile with it.

"Now, it's time for you to meet the rest of the family!" Alice's grin widened and Bella felt uneasy, holding on to Alice's comments from not two minutes ago. "We'll give you a tour after the introductions are finished." Alice grabbed her hand and led her across the foyer, pulling her into what looked to be a formal sitting room.

Bella looked up and instantly locked gazes with a pair of startling green eyes, her breath leaving her in a rush. She was staring at the most handsome, beautiful man she had ever seen. Tall and lean, he seemed to ooze strength and, if Bella was honest, sensuality. He was an Adonis in his own right.

Alice squeezed her hand and Bella realized she had just been staring at the man across the room from her and blushed. That was not the kind of first impression she wanted to give. Alice just giggled.

"Everyone, this is Bella Swan, our new sibling! Well, for while she's here, anyways. Bella this is everyone else," Alice introduced with a wave of her hand.

Bella scanned the room and saw two others. Another man, still handsome but not at all in the same league as the Adonis across the room, and what had to be the most gorgeous woman alive. Bella gaped at her and her efforts were met with a deadly glare. Fear spiked within her and Bella knew this was what she had been expecting to see and feel when she met these people. This girl in front of her was doing nothing to hide her own lethalness; she wanted Bella to know what she was and what she could do.

"So, Emmett's the one standing up, Rosalie's sitting down and that just leaves Edward," Alice nodded to each as she said their name and Bella received a grin and a nod from the huge bulk of a man that was Emmett, an icy glare from Rosalie and a simple nod from Adonis ... no ... Edward, who remained in the corner of the room.

"Got it?" Alice asked. Bella nodded, not sure her voice would work right now, and not wanting to embarrass herself by proving that theory correct. She was pretty sure that Rosalie really didn't like her and avoided looking at her. Bella was also not looking at all in the direction of Edward, really not understanding why she wanted to so much. There was a heat on her face, she could feel it burning and Bella really didn't want to know how dark it was right now.

"Okay, so introductions are done so now you get the tour!" Alice cheered. She then nodded at everyone in the room and then swiftly pulled Bella back into the hallway. Bella was fairly certain that she had never met someone with as much energy as Alice seemed to have. "Let's start back at the front foyer, that way you'll have a point of reference if you ever get lost."

Once again Bella was facing the massive staircase and had to peel her eyes off of the design in the frame to pay attention as Alice chattered. First, Alice explained the flow of the house, as she called it, and how each level had a purpose. The ground floor held the formal sitting room and dining room, the kitchen, the den, and the library with the sun room attached.

Bella's ears instantly perked at the mention of a library and once she saw the room, she wasn't sure she ever wanted to leave again. The room was full of floor to ceiling shelves full of every single possible subject. Bella just knew, looking around, that she was in her form of heaven.

Alice had just giggled and dragged Bella away; stating she could come back after the tour was finished. The sun room was gorgeous, the den cosy and lived in, the dining room intimidating, and the kitchen drool-worthy. Bella was already in love with the house and she had only seen the ground floor.

The first floor held studies and offices. Bella became quite jealous when Alice showed her how Carlisle's study was linked to the library below with a small spiral staircase. The other half of that floor was dedicated to guest bedrooms and Bella waited to be shown her room. Instead Alice led her up to the final floor.

"Silly, Bella. You're a special guest so you stay in a special guest room!" Alice explained after Bella asked.

The third story held all their bedrooms and two guest bedrooms, one of which was Bella's new room.

"Oh, wow," Bella whispered.

Alice giggled and promptly showed Bella the view from her new, massive bedroom. It had to be twice the size of her bedroom back home. She even had her own bathroom. As Alice explained the functions of the multi-showerhead shower stall, Bella felt a smile spread across her face. This house, this room, was definitely something she could get used to.

The best part, though, was the view from her many bedroom windows. The Cullen estate was set on 75 acres of land and Bella's room faced the large sculptured, designed gardens. It truly was a beautiful sight and Bella knew that come summer, the garden would be paradise.

"You're next door to Edward and Jazz and I are two doors down. Esme and Carlisle are down the hall, as are Rosalie and Emmett. The room next to yours is Em's as well but feel free to go in there if you want to look. It's just a smaller version of this room."

"Why does Emmett have two rooms?" Bella wondered and Alice giggled.

"Really it's a guest bedroom, but Rose and Em fight quite a bit and she ends up throwing him out of the bedroom. So it's just become his. It's his version of sleeping on the sofa." Bella grinned and Alice laughed again.

"So, you've had your tour and everyone's in the house. If you need anything just yell and someone will appear. Don't worry if you don't see anyone around, though. This house has so many rooms, sometimes even we get lost. I'll come get you when dinner's ready," Alice assured.

"I have to stay in my room?" Bella asked, suddenly unsure about the vibes she'd been getting since she met Alice. Would she be under room-arrest or something while she stayed here?

"Oh, I'm sorry Bella; I thought you'd be tired and want to rest. Silly me, I see now you're not. You are free to do whatever you like. Remember that while you are here, our home is your home," Alice smiled and Bella relaxed. It did make sense; to them she must be tired as she'd been up most of the night. She was made of sterner stuff than that though. Plus, she really wasn't tired.

"May I go to the library?" Bella asked.

"Yes, of course! You don't need to ask Bella! Now, was there anything else I was supposed to tell you? If you get hungry, just wander into the kitchen and help yourself. Tonight's family night, so we'll all be eating together in the dining room. Oh, and we ask just for your first few nights here that you leave the door on the latch," Alice danced over to the door and showed Bella what she meant. "All the rooms up here are soundproof. So when the doors are closed you can't hear a thing, but when they're on latch you can. Just while you're settling in, leave it on the latch so that way, if you need anything, you can just yell. Okay?" Bella nodded and Alice beamed, giving a quick goodbye and an approximate time for dinner before leaving Bella alone.

Quickly emptying the meagre contents of her bag, Bella put away her belongings before leaving her new room and setting off to find the library. She spent the rest of the day curled up with one of her favourite books and allowed herself to get lost in the story.

Alice found her for dinner and the two chatted about the book Bella had been reading along the way. It was nice to have someone to talk to and Bella realized she was coming to like the girl very much.

Upon entering the dining room, Bella realized her first impression of the room had been correct. It was still intimidating and Bella was suddenly very conscious of the fact that she had spent quite a few hours in her current outfit. Everyone else looked preened and polished.

"Hello Bella," Esme greeted. The woman smiled at her and Bella quickly sat down beside her. Bella noticed too late, however, that she was sitting opposite Rosalie. The blonde did not look thrilled at the seating arrangements.

"How did you spend your day? Did you like your room?" Esme wondered.

"Everything is great, Esme. The room is absolutely beautiful. I spent the day in the library. You'll probably lose me in there if you're not careful," Bella teased. After Bella revealed her love for reading, Carlisle started questioning her about her favourite books and then wanted to know why. It was quite an enjoyable conversation for her.

Bella noticed several things as the dinner progressed. The first was that, although almost everyone was relatively friendly and chatty, Rosalie had not said one word. She spent her time glaring at Bella, even when Emmett nudged her to get her to stop.

The other thing was a curious heat that spread across the back of her neck. It happened frequently throughout dinner, and whenever Bella would look up she'd catch the eye of the beautiful Adonis. He'd hold her gaze for a few seconds before looking away, only to repeat the process minutes later. Bella had no idea whether everyone else at the table was aware of it, but it made her extremely conscious of the youngest Cullen.

It was also clear that their work was not a topic of conversation and Bella didn't know whether it was for her sake or just a dinner-table rule in general. Though no one was mentioning it, it was like a presence in the room and Bella knew it would be brought up eventually. It didn't really surprise her that it was Rosalie who cracked. It brought Bella crashing back to reality.

"Did you know that there are at least twenty five ways of killing someone with your bare hands?"

"Rosalie!" Esme hissed but the blonde looked unrepentant. She simply continued to stare down her nose at Bella.

"For example, clapping-"

"Rose," Esme warned.

"-over the ears sends vibrations-"

"Rosalie."

"-bursting the eardrums and killing you almost instant-"

"Rosalie, enough!" Carlisle's voice sounded like a whip in the room and silence quickly descended.

Bella ducked her head and blinked furiously. She could admit to herself that Rosalie scared her, especially with her attitude towards her. But Bella really didn't want them to think of her as a little girl, or treat her like one. She knew a thing or two as well. Raising her head she took a deep breath and looked the blonde straight in the eye.

"Did you know that with a modified Glock, 33 round magazines, and a skilled marksman, you can shoot approximately 99 rounds, in just under a minute and a half? That's just over one round per second, with quick magazine changes. BANG thou-sand. BANG thou-sand. BANG thou-sand. BANG."

Silence filled the room as everyone just stared at Bella. She felt the heat of her tell tale blush start at the attention and then her words really sank in. Had she really just said that? Rosalie was scowling at her once again whilst Alice's lips were quirking. Bella realized she needed to leave, now. Placing her cutlery down she turned to Esme, who was still wearing a shocked expression, and forced a smile.

"I'm really feeling quite tired, I think everything just caught up with me. Please excuse me." Esme just nodded and Bella quickly rose to leave the room.

"Sleep well Bella!" Alice called from behind and Bella simple nodded before escaping the room. She practically ran up the stairs, not caring if they could hear her or not. Reaching her room, she quickly closed the door behind her, careful to leave it on the latch, before sinking to the floor.

Why oh why had she just said that? She wanted to prove herself, yes. Prove she wasn't just some helpless girl that needed protecting. She was worth something too. Bella really doubted getting in a verbal sparring match with any of the Cullen's was the way to do that, though.

Dragging herself to her feet, Bella quickly grabbed her toiletries and her night clothes. She entered her new bathroom and went about getting ready for bed.

As she washed her face and brushed her teeth, Bella realized nothing about her new 'home' felt normal. She felt so out of place in front of the mirror and sink. She was in a strangers' house, with the knowledge that not only were said strangers assassins and murderers, but that one of the biggest mob families was after her to use her as bait in a case her father was overseeing. Bella knew she was strong, both she and Charlie had had to be after her mother, but she didn't think she was up to this.

Finishing up her routine and putting her dirty clothes away, Bella climbed into the bed and tried not to think of what was to become of her. Even with all the statistics she learnt from her father over the years, even with the confidence of the Cullen's and their abilities, she really didn't think she'd get through this. The odds of Bella surviving this, of returning home and being with her father, were slim to none.

Burying herself under the comforter and pulling the pillow over her head so they couldn't hear her, Bella softly cried herself to sleep.

--

A/N – Hope you guys liked! Just quickly, a reference is made in here to a series of children's illustrations, Cops and Robbers, by Allan and Janet Ahlberg. I loved these growing up as I child and thought it'd be something Charlie would buy for Bella when she was younger. If you've never heard of them before definitely check them out, I still find them hilarious to this day. Thanks for reading folks!


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer – Nope, sorry, not mine. Characters belong to Stephenie Meyer, I'm just borrowing them. No profit made.

A/N – Here's chapter three! Big thanks go to demeterloves2, Eclispedofsoul and OCD_Indeed for all their help. I know I'm not updating very fast but I'm getting into my groove peeps, so hopefully you won't have to wait so long between chapters. That being said, hope you enjoy this one!

And a shout out goes to snowgood, whose review was lovely and very fitting for this chap, so I nicked it and put it in the story. Hope you don't mind and thanks to all of you for the amazing reviews!

Chapter Three 

Bella's eyes fluttered open reluctantly, feeling sore from all the crying last night. She blinked several times; realizing that something had woke her up. She sat up slowly and surveyed the large room. It really was a nice room, very well furnished even for a _special_ guest room. How many had Alice said there were last night? Bella knew she had paid attention, but right now she could barely remember the details. All she could focus on was the hollow feeling the build up and subsequent release of emotions last night had left her with. She just felt so low.

"Alice!" The whispered warning came from outside the bedroom, and Bella knew instantly what had woken her. The low tones continued and Bella considered just getting up and opening the door. They obviously wanted to talk to her otherwise they wouldn't be lurking outside her damn bedroom.

Bella didn't get the opportunity to find out, though, as her door was flung open and Alice practically bounded in, Esme trailing behind her.

"Bella! I knew you were awake! Didn't I tell you she was awake?" Alice just grinned and plopped herself down on the bed next to Bella. Esme threw her a look before settling at the edge of the bed.

"Good morning Bella dear, did you sleep well?" Esme asked warmly. She smiled as her eyes travelled over Bella's face. Bella knew her eyes had to be red and puffy. They would know she'd been crying. That didn't mean she had to admit it out loud. She could hold on to her pride at least.

"I slept well, thank you, Esme. This bed is lovely," Bella praised. Esme smiled, knowingly.

"Well that's good! You're going to need all your energy for today!" Alice jumped up and down on the bed as Bella clung to the duvet in a futile attempt to keep her balance.

"Alice," Esme chastised quietly. "Not everyone has the same amount of energy you do, especially this early in the morning. Calm down." Alice just changed from bouncing energetically to nodding her head enthusiastically. She was moving so fast Bella was getting a head rush just from watching her.

"What exactly are we doing today?" Bella asked warily. Alice grinned almost manically at her question and Bella resisted the urge to bury her head in the duvet.

"We're going shopping!" She announced, with a quick bounce as if to emphasise the matter.

"Shopping? What for?"

"Bella, you only brought one change of clothes with you. You can't spend the rest of your time here changing between two outfits! Plus, we have events to go to, so you'll need dresses and accessories for that. And you've only got overnight toiletries so you'll need more of them. Oh, we have so much to buy today!" Alice truly looked excited about it while Bella could feel her dread rising. Bella and shopping did not mix.

"Alice, I-" Bella started to protest.

"Nope," Alice wagged her finger at Bella. "Nuhuh. Don't even try arguing, missy. I'll win. I always win."

"Alice," Esme reprimanded but Alice just shrugged it off. Bella fought a smile. She could tell that she wasn't the only one who was irritated with the pixie's energy.

"So, now we're all agreed," Alice stated gleefully. Bella shot Esme a look as she sighed softly, the older woman grinning ruefully back at her, "We should get going. As I've said, we have a lot to do today." Alice looked from Bella to Esme as she began to bounce again. Bella sighed.

"Shopping it is, then," she stated. Alice squealed and threw herself at Bella, hugging her so hard they fell off the bed.

"Alice, Bella!" Esme called but her voice was drowned out as the two girls erupted into laughter. All Bella could do was giggle as Alice rolled off of her, her own tinkling laugh filling the air. Bella looked at the woman beside her and the woman on the bed, one joyful and the other concerned, and felt her worries slowly easing away. It would be okay. Esme and Alice already cared for her, it was all over their faces, and Bella cared for them too. She'd get through this, with them protecting her.

Having laughed her bad mood away, Bella hurriedly showered and dressed. Alice did have one valid point, Bella mused, as she put on her only other outfit. She understood why Charlie had rushed her out of the house, but Bella wished she'd gotten the chance to pack just a few more things. She wasn't materialistic at all, but she _was_ a girl.

Alice stood in the foyer, waiting somewhat impatiently, as Bella came down the stairs. Esme arrived just as she stepped off the last stair. The two both looked very smart and fashionable, and Bella became very aware of what she must look like standing next to them. A feeling that was not being helped by the frown marring Alice's face as the girl looked Bella up and down.

"What?" Bella asked, shifting self consciously. She could feel her face warm and bit her bottom lip nervously.

"It's a good thing I thought up this shopping trip. Baggy t-shirts and loose jeans are not a combination accepted in this house." Bella just gaped as Alice nodded, almost self righteously.

Esme opened her mouth but stopped herself and simply shook her head, sighing. She shot Bella a sympathetic look before leading the way to the back of the house, down the corridor, and through the kitchen to the back door.

"You didn't see this yesterday, Bella, but this is our garage where all the cars are kept," Alice explained as they walked out into the sunshine.

Another door was directly to their left but both Alice and Esme ignored it, walking across the gravel and heading straight for the structure in front of them. It was like a barn, except it held three, _three_, double garage doors. Bella didn't want to know how many cars were inside if they needed that many doors, that big to get them in and out.

Once inside Esme led the way over to the familiar silver S-Class but Bella got a good look at the other cars around it as she climbed inside.

"Let me guess," Bella mused, as Esme hit a button on a key chain and the garage door in front of them began to open, "The yellow one is Alice's." Esme laughed as Alice squealed out a yes.

"It's a Turbo 911 Porsche and it's my _baby_." Alice stated. Bella laughed but the gleam in Alice's eye told her she was being serious. It had to be that, or else she was just really looking forward to this shopping trip. Bella fervently hoped this wasn't the case.

Her hopes were dashed the moment they pulled into the valet for the mall. Alice and Esme were both greeted personally, Alice being informed that a pair of shoes she had been waiting on were finally in stock. The news was greeted with a squeal and a clap before Esme gently reminded Alice that they were here for Bella. Alice simply added it to the part of the list of 'to do' things which involved Bella getting shoes. High heeled shoes, for parties. Bella shuddered at the mental image of what the result of her first step in such shoes would be like. Face, meet floor. Get acquainted.

Bella quickly learnt, however, that shoes were the least of her worries. Alice was a shopping addict and knew the stores inside and out, heading directly for the items she was _so sure_ would suit Bella. Bella bulked at half of the things that were held up, and that was when they were just on the hangers. She could only imagine what they'd look like on a person. Bella very quickly found out, as there simply was no arguing with Alice. She was forced to try on every article of clothing that was thrown at her. An array of shirts, skirts, blouses, trousers, dresses, shorts - you name it, Bella tried it on.

All she could say, after those first few shops, with Alice in almost military mode, was thank god for Esme. Bella was very nearly driven to the edge of her sanity, and the whole process was not helped with the abnormal amount of energy Alice seemed to possess.

It was such an overwhelming experience for Bella. She had never shopped like this before. Charlie didn't know a thing about girls and shopping, so Bella had always pretty much kept to herself. As such, 'shopping with the girls' was not something she was familiar with. Alice had set out to buy her a whole new wardrobe, even after Bella argued that they had no idea how long she was staying, nor could she afford such an amount. Her protests fell on deaf ears. The shopping continued.

Bella was like a fish out of water. Except this was worse, much worse, as this fish knew she needed water to breathe.

It had to be said, though, that Alice was a quick study. By the eighth, or ninth – Bella really wasn't sure how many shops they'd been into at this point - shop Alice was picking up things Bella actually liked. There were some items Bella would never have dared to try on; yet when Alice forced her ,it turned out they looked good on her. She looked good.

"Oh, I knew it!" Alice exclaimed as Bella twirled, yes _twirled_, for her and Esme in a new dress. It was growing on her, this shopping gig, but Bella knew she'd need a break soon. She was tired from last night and Alice really did have just too much energy.

"It looks gorgeous on you, dear," Esme said for what must have been the thousandth time that day. Bella replied in exactly the same manner as every time before, her blush staining her cheeks.

"Well, hurry and take it off! We need a rest for a little while and I know just the thing," Alice exclaimed. Bella sighed with relief and spun around to return to her dressing room, stumbling slightly into the doorframe and feeling enormous relief when no laughter erupted. She'd been stumbling and tripping all morning, as was the norm for her, but both Alice and Esme had not laughed at her even once. Bella felt even more accepted by them.

After their purchases were bought, Bella watching again in fascination as the wrapped up goods were taken by an aid back to the car for them. It seemed that Alice and Esme, or perhaps just Alice, had their own way of shopping, and with the amount of money they must spend here, the mall was only too happy to accommodate.

So they set off, unencumbered, to a small cafe to sit and relax for what Bella was sure would be too brief an amount of time, before returning to the wonders of shopping. The three sat in comfortable silence, Bella people watching, before she became aware of the shared looks between Alice and Esme.

"Is everything okay?" Neither Alice nor Esme looked surprised at her question and simply smiled at her.

"There was something we wanted to discuss with you, Bella," Esme started and Bella felt her stomach tighten with worry, "But there's no need to worry about it. Alice had an idea and we were both trying to think of good ways to bring it up."

"Okay ..." Bella trailed off, focusing on the woman sitting beside her.

"Well, we all know why you're here, Bella, and while you're staying with us we want you to be as big a part of the family as you feel comfortable with. Hopefully, that'll mean you'll come to events and outings with us. This, unfortunately, brings about the possibility of recognition." Alice stated, making Bella frown in confusion. She looked between Alice and Esme as the words slowly started to make sense.

"Recognition? You mean ... _they_ ... might have people here, looking for me? But I thought I was safe, being so far away from home," Bella said anxiously.

"Bella, we're not going to lie to you. You won't be completely safe until this is all over. You are _safer_ with us, yes, but we have many friends and many contacts in the same world as your pursuers. It would only take someone to say the wrong thing about you to the wrong person." Bella swallowed hard and ducked her head as Esme's words started to sink in. She had known this, hadn't she? Deep down, Bella must have known. When the mob was out to get you, they got you. She'd just felt so _safe_ with the Cullen's, something she hadn't expected at all, and Bella guessed she'd just been focusing on that rather than everything else.

"Hey, we meant what we said, Bella. We're not going to let anything happen to you," Alice softly promised. Her words brought Bella's head up and the other girl smiled. "We're all in this together now, one big, happy, yet slightly dysfunctional, family." Bella let out a breathy laugh and Alice grinned.

"Anyway, back to the topic at hand. How do you feel about haircuts, Bella?"

They were still arguing, or having a heated discussion as Alice called it, when they stepped into the salon. Alice had suggested everything from chopping Bella's hair off to her living in a wig. Esme had been a little more subtle but Bella wasn't giving in. If she was at all girly about one thing, it was her hair. It had taken a long time to grow it back after her last escapade with making herself a new identity. It was something she had never entirely forgiven her mother for, and she was not going to go through that all over again. The mob could recognize her, with her long locks, and then Bella would be buried, long hair and all.

Neither Alice nor Esme appreciated that comment very much.

"Alice, I'm not dying my hair blonde! I'd be a total wash out! I know this must be a new thing for you, but I am saying no!" Bella stated firmly. Alice huffed as she replaced the strands of hair into the hair dye display.

"People say no to me. I know I can't have my way all the time, even if it _is_ the best way," Alice muttered and Bella threw her a look. "Besides, Jazz says no to me all the time. Of course, that's usually when he wants to be punished ..." Bella blushed furiously as Alice's innuendo laced words sank in and Esme murmured a quiet disapproval to her daughter, though Bella caught her lips twitching.

"Alice, Esme, darlings! It's good to see you both!" A short brunette, wearing an almost neon purple tunic and leggings, walked over to them, her arms opened wide, and air kissed both Alice and Esme's cheeks. "And who do we have here? Such a pretty little thing too!" Bella looked up slightly stunned and she knew it showed on her face. Alice grabbed her hand and yanked Bella to her feet.

"Sookie, this is my sister, Bella." Bella shot a look at Alice, who just beamed at her, and was so distracted that she didn't notice the other woman moving. For such a short woman, the lady, Sookie, in front of Bella had strength. Bella knew that from the squeeze she received while being hugged.

"Oh, another one for the Cullen clan! How exciting!" Sookie let Bella go, who stumbling into Alice as soon as she was free. The pixie just wrapped her arms around Bella and continued to smile. "And you!" Sookie pointed at Esme, who smiled warmly. "Yet another one and still not a grey hair on your head! I can see from here. I don't know how you do it! Unless you visit someone other than me...?"

"Sookie, that is absurd! You are the only one talented enough to touch a hair on any Cullen's head," Alice exclaimed and the woman smiled, nodding her head graciously.

"Now that we have our introductions out of the way, which of my services do you require today?" Sookie asked. Alice wrapped an arm around Bella and opened her mouth to speak but Esme beat her to the punch.

"Well, Bella here wants a new look but none of us really know how to do that without changing her too much. We still want Bella to be Bella." And there, Bella thought, was the crux of their situation. For while she was being hunted down, she couldn't be Bella Swan; she just had to be Bella. How could she do that, become and look like a new person, whilst still being herself?

"Hmm, sounds complicated. Yet, at the same time, so very simple," Sookie murmured thoughtfully. Bella just stared as the hairdresser grabbed her hand and led her over to a corner by the entrance. "Let me see you in the sunlight, see your natural beauty." Bella bit her bottom lip and tried not to pull a face. This woman was helping her, so it would be rude to laugh. _Natural beauty?_ Ha, Bella thought.

Sookie looked her up and down, angling her face to this side and that. As she studied Bella, Bella couldn't help but study her. She was very well put together, with heavy eye make-up and perfectly out-lined lips. Yet the look didn't look trashy. Her clothes were the same, loud and somewhat fashionable. Bella had to admit that even though Sookie seemed very outrageous, she was every bit as gorgeous as Alice. Well, not entirely. Alice was in a league of her own.

"Aha! I know exactly what to do! Now, my dear, do you trust me? I promise you, you will look even more gorgeous than you do now when I have finished with you," Sookie swore excitedly. Bella looked from Alice and Esme, both of whom smiled and nodded, before looking back at Sookie. She fingered the ends of her hair, which fell softly over her shoulders.

"You won't cut my hair?" She asked timidly. Sookie threw her head back and laughed.

"My dear, of course I will cut your hair! But I understand your question, and I answer no. I won't cut the length of your hair. I shall have to take a little off, so it will grow, and add a few layers and the like but, otherwise, I will not touch the length." Bella blushed, realizing how dumb her question had sounded. Sookie understood, though, so Bella didn't feel the full amount of embarrassment she had been expecting. If the woman understood her non-clinical speak, surely she could understand how to cut Bella's hair like Esme had said.

Taking a deep breath, Bella nodded and almost instantly she was whisked off to the other end of the salon. Her arms were pushed into a gown, while another was wrapped around her shoulders and neck. Then she was being forced to sit down, Sookie instructing her to just lean back and relax.

Now, Bella could freely admit that she was not a girly-girl, but she did like her hair being done. It was the one form of pampering Bella would ever accept, going to one of the more expensive hairdressers back home to get her hair done and not feeling the least bit guilty for the amount she paid. Her hair was one of her few redeeming qualities and Bella loved the feeling of it being played with. Especially since, when at the hairdressers, your hair always ended up looking fabulous.

Bella had no idea how long she was under Sookie's administrations, nor the length of time that had passed since they'd arrived. She did know, however, that she enjoyed every minute of it.

Bella had kept her eyes firmly closed through all of it, partly due to Sookie's instructions and partly because she really was so relaxed. Now came time for the big reveal. Her hair had been blow-dried and slightly straightened, and now the gown was coming off. Movement behind her notified Bella of Alice and Esme's approach and Alice's squeal confirmed it.

"Bella! Oh, Sookie, you have outdone yourself!" Alice praised. Sookie's laughter filled the air and Bella felt a gentle poke on her arm.

"Go on honey, take a peek," the hairdresser urged. Bella slowly opened her eyes and faced the mirror.

At first, she didn't recognize the girl in the mirror. She was beautiful. Then she blinked and Bella slowly recognized herself. She was still ... her. Her hair was now framed around her face, with bangs that could be swept up or left down. It seemed thinner, flatter on her head yet still retained the curls at her ends. What had to be the most different though, was the colour of her hair. She was still her shade of brunette but now she had red and mahogany highlights that added to her natural colour.

Bella still looked like herself, but you wouldn't recognize her with just a cursory glance or if you were basing your image of her off a photo. A smile slowly spread across her face. Sookie had managed to get everything perfect. The woman in question clapped her hands at Bella's smile.

"Oh, she likes it, I can tell! This does please me! Now, let me explain what I have done so you know what to ask for in the future, oh but alas, you will always come to me in the future! But that is beside the point, let me tell you. Now, as instructed, I kept the length the same, except for an inch for growth, I added in layers, just a few to give you more texture and then I thinned it out, that will help with letting it curl naturally on its own. Oh, and the colour! This is why I always tell my clients to stand in the sun! You hair just glows in the sun, with steaks of red and bronze! So, I added them in and viola! You are you, yet you are not. My work is done!"

"Once again, you've done exactly what we asked for and more. You truly have outdone yourself, Sookie," Esme said approvingly, smiling at Bella as Alice danced around them. Alice nodded, beaming.

"You have proved, again, that you are the best this city has to offer!" Alice gushed. Sookie seemed to glow with the praise whilst Bella just sat, slightly glowing herself. She'd been alright before, Bella knew she wasn't bad looking; yet she was no supermodel. Now though, now she felt pretty and she looked it, too.

Esme allowed Bella to pay for herself, though she was sure that money had to have crossed hands or a deal been made because even her haircuts at home had never been that cheap. Still, Sookie acted no differently and made Bella promise to return in six weeks so she could, once again, work on a masterpiece. Bella was sure she was bright red as they left the shop, and Alice simply used it as further ammunition to convince Bella they still had things to shop for.

As a result, they spent the rest of the day at the mall. Bella had to admit that this was one of the best days of her life.

At first, Alice had been almost crazy; on a mission to get Bella everything on her list. After their break, and Bella's visual transformation, she'd calmed somewhat. They had spent the rest of the time just browsing through shops, both Alice and Bella herself choosing things for her to try, and chatting throughout it all. By the end of their trip, Bella felt as if she'd known Alice and Esme for years. Their profession didn't cross her mind once.

Somehow, all of their new packages managed to fit into the car and the trip home seemed to take no time at all. One minute they were piling into the car, the next Esme was pulling into the garage. Bella felt her legs protest as she pushed herself up and out of the car and watched in amazement as Alice sprang out and danced to her side.

"You look tired," Alice commented, tipping her head to the side. Bella shot her a look.

"Gee, I wonder why?" Her voice was heavy with sarcasm but Alice simply waved her hand, as if swatting a fly away.

"Pfft, today was nothing. Wait until we have to get dresses for one of the black-tie balls. Now, that'll be a tiring day of shopping," Alice said nonchalantly and Bella looked on in horror. She didn't need that mental picture. If a shopping trip could tire Alice out it would surely kill Bella. Or at the very least, make her wish for death. It would probably be more peaceful and definitely less exhausting.

Alice linked her arm through Bella's as she began to lead them out of the garage. Bella shot a look back to the car, noticing Esme was behind, also empty handed.

"Um, what about the packages? Shouldn't we bring them in?" Bella asked. Alice laughed and patted Bella's hand.

"Don't worry, Bella. I called ahead," Alice assured her. As they reached the door, it swung open from the outside and Jasper and Carlisle entered. Alice blew Jasper a kiss before continuing on with Bella towards the house. "As I said, don't worry. They'll bring everything in." Alice smiled mischievously and Bella couldn't help but laugh.

"Is this what Jasper does for a reward?" She asked, and then clamped her free hand over her mouth, in shock at her own words. Alice grinned at her.

"I think that's a very good idea, Bella." Bella's cheeks flamed and Alice laughed. "Oh, especially with that new-wait. Jazz can't see that, damn. I'll be right back, Bella. I don't want Jazz to see his surprise." She grinned impishly before dashing off. Bella decided to continue upwards to her bedroom, shaking her head as she walked.

Alice seemed very open about her relationship with Jasper, and it was yet another new experience for Bella. After all, she had just lived with her father for most of her life. A father who rarely went out on dates, and if he did he would hardly come home and discuss them with his daughter. It wasn't that Bella didn't know things, she was a teenager and you heard things no matter whether you wanted to or not. It was different though, living with a couple so open. Three couples, Bella reminded herself as thoughts of what Emmett and Rosalie and Esme and Carlisle would be like. Hopefully not quite so open; Alice she could handle, but everyone? That situation just screamed awkward in her head. Especially when you added in the actual experiences Bella had had herself, which were very few indeed.

Almost to the top of the second set of stairs now, Bella shook her head and sighed. Alice had well and truly worn her out. Her legs felt all tingling and her eyes just wanted to close. She reached the top just as her head fell forward, eyes closing, only to snap open at the sensation of falling.

She was going to fall down the stairs.

Or she would have if it hadn't been for the cool hands that grasped her own gently, tugging her forward, causing Bella to stumble onto the landing.

"Hey, now. You okay?" A velvet voice crooned and Bella looked up into bright green eyes. _Edward_. Crap, but that visual wasn't helping with Bella's vertigo.

"Give me a minute," she murmured, and Edward's hand seemed to tighten on hers. Finally over her wash of exhaustion Bella looked up, opened her mouth to thank him, and promptly blushed instead. A melodic chuckle greeted her ears for her effort.

"Shopping day with Alice?" Edward mused. Bella just nodded. "That tends to tire everyone out, especially if it's their first time . . . Shopping. With Alice." His voice changed at the end, almost sounding higher, and Bella was suddenly sure she wasn't the only one blushing. Giving her a small smile, Edward pulled gently and Bella found herself firmly in the middle of the landing, away from the stairs, before he let go of her hands. It tingled from his touch and the feeling was far from unpleasant.

"Bella!" Alice rushed up the stairs but stopped when she met with Bella and Edward. She cocked her head to the side, studying them, as Edward shook his. He offered Bella one more smile before passing Alice to retreat down the stairs, ruffling her hair as he went.

For the next couple of hours, Bella and Alice organised her new belonging into her wardrobe. Bella thanked both Jasper and Carlisle for carrying her parcels upstairs, before Alice began to instruct her on the better ways of grouping ones clothes in the wardrobe. It was like a military exercise, with Alice barking out orders and Bella following them as quickly as possible just to get the job done.

They spent so much time doing that, they missed dinner. As they trooped down, Alice bounced and Bella willed her feet to co-operate. They found that Jasper, Esme, Carlisle and Edward had all waited for them to start their own dinner. Though no one commented, Bella knew the only reason Emmett had not waited was because Rosalie would not. She was already being an inconvenience by being in the house, so why should Rosalie wait on Bella for her dinner as well? Bella wished she knew what she'd done there, but could only amend that it was Rosalie's problem, and not hers.

Over dinner, both Jasper and Carlisle commented on her new hair and Bella turned red at their words. This started a teasing game between Jasper and Alice, as to see which of them could get Bella to blush the most. Bella felt slightly better about the situation by having someone else treat her as if she was one of their own.

Although he didn't comment, Edward yet again played his game of 'blink' with Bella. At least, that was what she was calling it in her head. She'd feel the heat on her neck, look up at him, and hold his gaze before blinking and having him look somewhere else. This time, though, she was pretty sure both Esme and Alice caught them, and their smiles made Bella shift uncomfortably in her seat.

Any thought of escaping to bed was put out when Alice followed Bella to her room, and once again began to discuss clothes. It was another couple of hours before Bella persuaded her, with Esme's help, that yes, these discussions really could be saved for the morning. Once her room was clear of all hyper pixies, her door on the latch, and her nightly routine done, Bella climbed into bed.

Exhausted after such a day, Bella looked forward to just laying back into her bed and falling into oblivion. It was a muggy night, after such a beautiful day, so Bella had opened her windows, and now the light breeze moved her curtains and the soft sound lulled Bella even further into sleep.

Suddenly another sound slowly filled the room. It took Bella a moment, in her haze, to realize she wasn't dreaming and she really could hear a piano. The music filtered into her room, and Bella sat up slowly as the beautiful sounds seemed to swirl around her. Moving slowly, and with a small amount of grace, she went to the window, where the music was the loudest.

It filled her head, the notes soft and full of emotion. Without conscious thought, Bella was leaning forward out of her window to see where the music was coming from. To her left, more windows were open to the night and Bella knew from Alice's tour that it was Edward's room that lay to the left of hers.

That it was Edward who was playing.

A soft smile grew on her face and, almost gliding back to bed, Bella let the music fill her. Snuggling deeper into her comforter, she fell asleep with a smile on her face.

--

A/N – Well, hope you guys liked! If you feel like it, leave a review and tell me what you thought! And chapter four is definite Bella/Edward interaction, so stay tuned folks!


	4. Chapter 4

A/N – Hey, first an apology for the long time in between updates, real life has been not nice to me and I'm just getting back into a somewhat familiar routine. Good news is that planning and writing for chapters five and six have been going strong so you shouldn't have to wait long for them. Thank you to everyone who's staying around to read this, your reviews means so much to me and just the thought of people reading and enjoying my work brings a smile to my face. So thanks and I hope you enjoy it.

Major thanks to EclispedofSoul and demeterloves2, who have both been brilliant and OCD_Indeed who's just downright amazing.

Disclaimer – I own nothing, it's all Stephenie Meyer's, I'm just borrowing to have a bit of fun.

Chapter Four

The best way to start your morning? Bella imagined that you could answer that question in several ways, even without taking in personal preferences. She could, however, for definite tell a person how they did not want to start their morning.

"Careful, Bella. Mind that last step." Blushing furiously as Carlisle righted her from her near face plant on the floor and mentally cursing the necessity of stairs, Bella thanked him and followed him in the direction of the kitchen. If her morning was any indication of how her day was going to go Bella was sure she should just turn around and go back to bed. It was definitely safer there; you couldn't trip, fall, injure or humiliate yourself when snuggled up in your duvet.

Well, Bella had yet to do any of that so she had high hopes. What she didn't know couldn't hurt her. Though, given her current situation, she should probably revise that statement. What she didn't know was quite a bit, and what she did know was that there were people out there who wanted to hurt her so . . .

Shaking her head, Bella refocused her thoughts on pleas to any deity that would listen to help her with her co-ordination and balance and two left-feet and clumsiness and, well the list went on. She just wished she could be a tad more graceful, was that really too much to ask? Just look at the Cullens, who were all . . . who were all rushing about and bumping into each other and getting under each other's feet.

Pausing at the kitchen door, Bella just took the scene in front of her in. It was like a free for all, everyone doing their own thing in the same space and trying not to get in each others' way. On her tour of the house Bella had thought the kitchen huge but now, with the majority of the Cullens moving about, it seemed tiny. She watched, with mounting amusement, as Emmett held a bar of what appeared to be chocolate high above Alice's head as he goaded her and she jumped in futile attempts to reach it. Esme flitted around the space, bringing out bowls and pans and lining up several different ingredients before catching Carlisle as he moved to the back door. Bella looked away as they shared a goodbye kiss and finally noticed Edward in the far corner, concentrating on cutting up whatever lay on his plate. All were focused on their tasks and Bella was grateful none of them had taken note of her, as it allowed for her to watch them and gather her thoughts.

Abruptly being pushed forward changed that and Bella stumbled, grabbing onto the doorknob in an attempt at keeping her balance. Rosalie breezed past her, her shoulder being the culprit of Bella's sudden forward momentum, and Bella was very glad everyone in the kitchen was too busy to have seen.

"You alright, Bella?" Jasper held a hand out and Bella took it, letting him pull her up and then accompany her further into the kitchen. She shot him a bewildered look and he chuckled lightly.

"You should know, it's not always like this," Jasper explained, knocking the chocolate out of Emmett's hands and into Alice's as they walked past. "But breakfast, when we're all together like this, is the craziest meal of the day. We all have our individual tastes, Esme won't cook seven different meals, and quite rightly so since she cooks the majority of all our other meals, so we all have to fend for ourselves. Welcome to the morning mayhem." He grinned down at her before striding across the room, to what Bella guessed was the fridge and retrieving eggs, picking up one of the pans Esme had set out and a plate before stopping in front of the hob.

"Oh, Bella, dear. Good morning, did you sleep well?" Esme appeared at her side and Bella turned to smile at her. Even throughout this chaos, Esme was still perfectly put together.

"I slept like a log, Esme, thank you."

"Like a log?" A voice boomed in her ear and Bella jumped. Emmett sidled up behind her and laughed at her reaction. "Your snoring is that bad, huh?"

"I don't-" Bella stammered only to have Emmett laugh again and wrap an arm around her.

"I'm only messing with ya, Bells." The familiar nick name fell easily from Emmett's lips and Bella found she didn't mind the reminder of home, or her father. Besides, with Emmett grinning down at her there was no way she would slip into any kind of mood. "That's where the saying comes from, you know. 'I slept like a log' is linked to the sound of someone's snoring sounding like actual sawing." He nodded wisely and Bella couldn't help but smile at him.

"That's some interesting trivia," she responded and Emmett beamed down at her.

"I am something of an intellect, you know," he winked at her and Bella's giggle was drowned out by Jasper.

"Ha! You only know that cause your snoring sounds like someone's taking down a fucking oak!" Emmett's cry of outrage blocked Esme's rebuff at Jasper's language and the two boys settled into an argument over who was the loudest. As if that was something to be proud of.

"Boys," Esme sighed and Bella smiled in agreement. Emmett laughed before wrapping Bella in another one armed hug.

"Ah, the gifts we of the fairer sex can boast of." Bella actually snorted as Esme harrumphed and Emmett grinned. "Now, since you seem to be on the short side, like our lovely Alice, if you need anything from the top cupboard just holler, right?" Emmett patted her shoulder before crossing the room to join Rosalie and Bella guessed from Esme's grin, that that was Emmett's acceptance of her.

"Can I get you anything, dear?" Esme asked and Bella shook her head. After years of having to cook for her family, Bella was perfectly capable of fending for herself. Simply asking for the location of certain items, Bella got to work and by the time she was finishing, someone else had already set the table and they were all sitting down with their meals. It seemed that whenever able, the Cullens liked to eat together.

Bella sat in the seat Alice had saved for her, placing her food in front of her before settling herself. She took a big bite, closed her eyes, and hummed in appreciation. When she opened them again, everyone was staring at her.

"What?"

"_What_ are you _eating_?" Rosalie demanded, disgust clear in her tone. Bella glanced down at her breakfast before looking up again.

"Pancakes," she replied. Rosalie rolled her eyes.

"We can see that. What's inside them?"

"Oh, sorry. They're thin pancakes with berries inside, with a dollop of plain yogurt." Her explanation just received more stares.

"Can I try?" Alice trilled and Bella pushed her plate in front of Alice in reply. She took a modest bite and then let out a moan that made Jasper drop his fork.

"That is divine," she declared, immediately popping another bite into her mouth. "Jazz, you have to try this," she stated before scooping more up and feeding it to Jasper. It seemed he also was only able to show his appreciation in noises as he hummed and Bella felt herself blushing at everyone's reactions. It was only pancakes.

The plate was pushed further along the table at which point Esme protested.

"Alice, Jasper, Emmett! I raised you better than this, you're eating her food!"

"But it's so gooood," Emmett moaned and Rosalie huffed as Esme glared.

"I do not care! Neither of you boys asked permission and it is just simply rude that you take another person's food!"

"Esme, its fine, really. If it's no trouble I'll just make some more." Bella laughed as both Emmett and Jasper's faces lit up at the prospect of more. Esme crossed her arms.

"You shouldn't have to, Bella. You are a guest here; you should not have your food stolen from you, especially as you already made it yourself in the first place!"

"Ah, lighten up ma!" Emmett laughed and slid Bella's now empty plate back to her. "You can't have it both ways, either she's a guest or she's part of the family. And if she's part of the family then she had better get used to having her food stolen in the future, especially if it tastes like that. Just part of our family dynamic and you know it." Now it was Esme's turn to huff as Bella giggled. She turned to the matriarch and couldn't help but beam at her, just for caring enough to be put out that Bella's food was taken from her.

Bella had never had siblings; it was just Charlie and herself at home, so if this was what it would be like Bella thought she'd quite like it.

"Esme, it really is no trouble, I love cooking and I get up early at home to cook my dad breakfast anyway. It's kinda ingrained in me at this point to cook for others as well as myself." It was true. When Bella's mother had . . . well, when it was just her and Charlie Bella had quickly discovered that her father's cooking abilities were limited. Severely limited. She'd had to learn how to cook in order for them to survive. Believe it or not, constantly eating fast food gets old, real quick. Much to Bella's amazement she was actually pretty good at cooking and even better, she enjoyed it. There was just something about seeing the fruits of your labour and knowing, especially knowing, that other people derived pleasure from it.

So it really was no big deal to Bella getting up early, well earlier, the next morning and making her pancakes again. The hug she received from Alice made it all worth it, as well as watching Jasper and Emmett wolf down their own helpings. Bella found she couldn't really watch Edward eat, as watching his lips move and his tongue caress his lips brought about a flush Bella really didn't want to explain. Nevertheless, her eyes seemed to be constantly drawn to him and watching his Adam's apple bob made hers echo the motion.

The following morning she served up drop scones, with various toppings, which were met with similar approval. Bella was glad as she really had had no idea, other than her pancakes, what everyone would like. Her plans to investigate the library for cook books and new recipes were put on hold that day though, as Alice convinced Bella to cook elevenses for Carlisle, as he was returning from a night shift. Bella was learning very quickly that the little pixie could be very persuasive.

"Come one, Bella. We all had such a lovely breakfast; don't you think Carlisle deserves something similar? And after such a long shift at the hospital? We'll all stay and help, and that way we can cook something for Carlisle as well as learn what everyone likes, so really everyone wins."

Everyone, Bella noticed, did not include Rosalie as the blonde appeared to despise Bella for no reason. Still, she was part of the family and Bella cooked for her, even if she didn't touch it. She just looked down her nose before leaving the rest of them in the kitchen, which suited Bella just fine. Esme also bowed out but Bella had a blast with the rest of the Cullens.

It had to be one of the best times she'd ever spent in a kitchen. Making her way through a mountain of requests, Bella laughed and smiled. The kitchen felt fit to burst with everyone moving around and following Bella's orders. It was somewhat strange to be giving out the commands but as everyone complied Bella felt her smile grow. This was how it must feel to have a big family, with lots of siblings who all cared about each other. Emmett and Jasper were constantly challenging each other to contests, whether it was who could throw bits of food into their mouths from the furthest distance, or the number of pieces of fruit they could juggle with. Watching two grown men concentrate so much on juggling _fruit_ of all things had Bella on the floor with tears in her eyes.

They were also persistent in trying to cover each other with as many ingredients as possible. Emmett was by far the worst in that, as Jasper moved lightning fast and Edward always seemed to know when he was going to be targeted. All Emmett had to do was glance at him, no matter how sneakily he did it, and Edward was moving in the opposite direction and away from whatever was aimed at him. Alice too seemed to share that knowledge but as she was helping Bella remain mostly clean she couldn't really complain. Needless to say, by the time Carlisle returned home his kitchen appeared to be a war zone, with bits of food everywhere. His children were the clear culprits, as minutes before he walked in Emmett had finally gotten flour in Alice's hair and in retaliation she had jumped onto his back, smearing tomato puree in his own curly locks. The good doctor surveyed the kitchen with a small smile before grinning down at Bella in her refuge under the table. Shaking his head and ordering them to clean up before Esme saw, he quickly exited the room as Bella sighed in relief. She thought they might get in trouble but as they all cleared up she realized none of the other Cullens seemed to share her fear and Bella slowly relaxed.

Cleaning up took barely any time with everyone working together and Alice even cajoled Edward into making a tune with only cutlery and jars. As this was the first time she'd officially heard of Edward's music prowess Bella didn't know whether to act impressed or not. Still, you had to give credit to the man when he even made kitchen utensils sound good.

As soon as they were finished, Alice headed straight to the shower, dragging a not at all reluctant Jasper with her. Emmett seemed to catch on and with a wink at Bella, stated he was off to find Rosalie. Blushing Bella tried not to think of what both couples would now be up to before being distracted by a soft exhale of breath in front of her. Looking up she met Edward's gaze and knew he was sympathizing with her.

"Don't worry, it gets easier," he stated but Bella wasn't entirely sure what he meant. "Just focus on something else." His eyes dipped over her, his mouth parting slightly before abruptly heading towards the door. So she was supposed to focus on something else, whilst knowing what was going on behind her new housemates' closed doors? It didn't seem that easy to her, though she was sure if she focused on Edward hard enough . . . Another blush took over her cheeks and biting her lip, Bella decided to check out the library before heading up for her own shower. As good as Alice's protection had been, Bella had still suffered a few casualties and she knew she was starting to smell a bit like eggs. A good book and a hot shower would take her mind off everything.

Bella settled into this new breakfast habit quickly and was surprised that almost a week had passed since her arrival at the Cullens. Her days were spent cooking, laughing, reading, doing whatever she wanted in this dream house, most often with Alice at her side. It was strange to think she'd settled in so quickly, and so easily. Already, she was treating this house as if it were her second home, no longer asking permission to do or use things. Her days were full and her evenings, well each night she was serenaded into sleep, even if Edward had no idea she could hear him play. He was truly talented and already Bella looked forward to turning in each night, just to hear him play.

This routine was not without its bumps. Rosalie, it seemed, couldn't stand to be in the same room as Bella and was beginning to accuse Emmett of disloyalty. Bella loved spending time with the big man but never commented when Rosalie summoned him to her side. Esme also had her own problems, but thankfully Bella could do something about that. On her fifth morning of cooking breakfast, Esme finally brought up the subject just as Alice had strangely predicted she would.

"You're a guest here, Bella!"

"You said to make myself at home, well at home I cook."

"You are not here to cater to our needs –"

"And yet, you are dealing with all of mine! A roof over my head, clothes and food! Why shouldn't I help out around the house you've opened up to me?"

"Helping around the house is a little different than cooking eight people breakfast everyday!"

"I've cooked for more, Charlie usually had some of his team over, which could be about twenty people in our house at a time, and I cooked for all of them. Eight is hardly a hard number after that, especially considering I didn't always get told beforehand who was turning up."

"Bella, this really is-"

"Please Esme? This is something I really want to do. You're doing so much for me; can't I return just a fraction of that to you?"

The pleading finally won Bella her case and Esme relented. Bella was extremely thankful for that, as she really didn't like arguing with the older woman. She was such a caring soul, and they'd been so good to her with everything so far, that Bella felt as if she had to give something back. Even if it was only a little something.

That day also brought about her first phone call home. Feeling slightly guilty she'd allowed herself to forget her situation so far as to forget her father, Bella took the cell phone from Carlisle and retreated to her room. She'd hold it together when talking to Charlie, but Bella could not guarantee there wouldn't be tears afterwards and that was not something she wanted the Cullens to see. It seemed the phone rang and rang before Charlie picked up.

"Hello?" Bella actually sagged at the sound of her father's voice.

"Hi, Dad," she murmured and heard his sigh, as if he too was sagging in relief at her hearing her voice.

"Bells. Damn fine to hear your voice." Bella laughed and just knew her father was smiling. "So, how you doing? Fill me in on everything that's happened." And she did. Usually Bella and her father traded few words, they were both naturally quiet people and what was said between them could be said in just a small number of words. Not tonight, though. Bella could hardly shut up, telling him every tiny minute detail of her days so far. From the house, to the garage full of cars outside, to the mysterious outside door she couldn't figure out, to the amazing kitchen and even more amazing library. Then she moved on to the people themselves, how they'd been treating her, her shopping spree and makeover, how she already felt so comfortable in their presence.

"You're really ok, Bells? Not just putting on an act to please your old man?"

"No, Dad, promise. I know I'm shying away from their . . . profession but I think I'll take it baby steps with that. They're good people, I'm getting to know them really well and I think that'll help me in the long run." She hoped, more like. It made her stomach queasy to think of the Cullen's killing people, it just didn't seem to fit with the kind, warm people who had taken her in. Yet, she saw glimpses in their everyday activities, and she hoped that she'd be able to accept it one day.

"As long as you're sure. Nothing's happened down here yet but we'll be making our move soon, and after that you'll come on home." Bella smiled at the thought and buried herself deeper into her duvet. Listening to Charlie talk about home, her friends' well wishes as they all thought she was sick, and the results to his favourite baseball game, even though he knew she didn't care about scores and runs, made her eyes water. She was definitely homesick now.

"Oh, wow, we've been talking for almost three hours," Bella yawned into the phone as she glimpsed the counter telling her how long they'd been connected. Charlie huffed a laugh.

"Must be a new record for us," he replied and Bella smiled. "I bet we'll get good at this phone thing while you're away."

"Not too good, though," Bella whispered and she heard Charlie sigh.

"No, not too good," he agreed. "I'll let you get some sleep, Bells, you're probably exhausted." Bella was going to protest but she yawned instead.

"Ok, I'll talk to you again soon."

"You can ring whenever, Bells. I'm just a phone call away, and it won't be that way for long." Smiling at the reassurance in his voice Bella lay down fully on the bed, her eyes already drooping.

"I love you, Dad."

"I love you too, baby girl, so much. Talk again soon." With his words still ringing in her ears, Bella disconnected the line and snuggled into her pillows, closing her eyes as Charlie's voice helped her drift off.

Her slumber only lasted a few hours, Bella's body jerking awake as her nightmare intensified. Looking around, Bella began to relax as her body calmed and her mind accepted she was in no immediate danger. Taking deep breaths, Bella slumped back into the pillows as the last vestige of her dream disappeared. She'd dreamt of _them_, all nameless and faceless but still so treacherous. They'd caught her and with the Cullens nowhere in sight they'd . . . Bella shuddered and knew further sleep would be futile. Not with those images in her head.

Slipping out of bed, Bella decided she needed a good book, or else something distracting enough to take her mind off of those scenes. The house was warm enough that she didn't need a robe so she slipped out of her room as quietly as possible and made her way to the stairs. She didn't think any of the Cullens would be cross if she woke them but she'd still rather not encounter any of them. She didn't want to explain why sleep was not her friend tonight.

Reaching the stairs, however, took her mind on a completely different track. Music, piano music, was floating in the air and Bella could tell it wasn't coming from Edward's bedroom. Her curiosity piqued, Bella slowly traipsed down the stairs, the music growing louder as she went.

There, beneath the main stairwell and set in a little alcove, was a beautiful grand piano. Its beauty paled, though, when looking at the man playing it.

Edward was completely absorbed in playing, his whole body seemed to move with the music and his eyes never left the keys. Bella sat down on a step, leaning against the railing and settled in to watch. Everything, the music, the man, seemed almost surreal in its beauty and Bella suddenly had the urge to pinch herself, just to check to see if she really was awake. The piece he was playing was slowing, coming to an end and Bella sighed softly, hoping fervently he started to play something else.

"I think I have an audience," his voice startled Bella and she let out a small gasp. Edward turned and looked straight at her, his green eyes dancing. "Well, now I know. You can come down." Bella hesitated for a moment and a beautiful, crooked smile formed on Edward's lips. "I promise I won't bite."

Slowly, partly because she was still hesitant but mostly because she didn't want to trip and fall down the stairs, Bella stood and then walked down the remaining stairs.

Edward nodded at the piano bench he sat on and Bella very carefully perched on the edge of it, leaving almost a foot between them. It could have been her imagination but she could swear that the space between them was heated.

"So . . . what are you doing up at this time of night?" Edward began lightly playing a slow piece and Bella felt the music begin to calm her nerves.

"I couldn't sleep."

"May I ask why?" Bella pursed her lips together as she debated whether or not to answer truthfully but Edward spoke again before she could answer, "You spoke with your father today, I hope he's well."

"Yeah, Charlie's . . . missing me, like I'm missing him." Bella looked away as tears began to build in her eyes. Charlie had been in her dream, and not in a good way. She didn't want to break down in front of Edward though so she had to change the subject.

"Why are you still up?" Edward gazed at her for a moment before allowing the subject change and Bella breathed a sigh of relief.

"Decompressing," he shot a small crooked grin at her as she raised her eyebrows. "After some days, I just need to unwind and music helps me do that."

"Just playing or both playing and listening?" Bella asked, latching onto the subject but also wanting to know more. Anything, and everything about this beautiful man.

"That depends," he stated and Bella waited for him to continue.

"On?"

"What type of day I've had," he answered in an obvious tone.

"So, today was bad?" Edward shook his head, allowing his fingers to smoothly move the music into another piece.

"No, today was just . . . confusing," he gave her a lingering look that brought a flush to Bella's face before looking back at the keys.

"This is confusing music?" Bella queried, the music seeming to be much too gentle and light for confusing thoughts. Edward grinned, as if he understood her thoughts.

"This is the end of confusing music, the start was much more like this," with that he broke off into a complex piece, a cross between blues and jazz. It made Bella smile, the complexity of the notes and tune making perfect sense for the sound of a jumbled mind. After a few minutes, Edward returned to the gentle tones of before but Bella was curious now. What other types of music did this amazing young man play to represent himself?

"What about on a bad day? When you're feeling angry, and mad, and chaotic?" The grin Edward shot at her made Bella realize she may have just started a game, or challenge with him. One he would surely win. As he started to play a thunderous piece, with sharp notes and an almost frenzied tune that seemed to bring his whole body to life, Bella really couldn't bring herself to care, just so long as he continued to play. And she could continue to watch him.

Once he finished, she had another question waiting for him, "What about a tiring day? One which pulled physically and emotionally? On a day you just want to give up?"

And on it went. Bella honestly couldn't say how long they sat there, Edward playing and then slowly coaxing Bella's own methods of dealing with things from her. Soon the piano was only a background noise, their voices bearing the foreground. Bella couldn't remember the last time she had felt so at ease with someone so quickly, excluding Alice and Esme. This whole family seemed to be filled with amazing people, people at the end of the day who just wanted what was right for the world.

Bella knew she was shying away from her thoughts about the Cullen's occupation but saw it only as self preservation. If she started thinking about that now, she shut them out, shut herself away, and this whole situation would become extremely uncomfortable. It was better this way, to concentrate on the family, not the job.

Especially when that allowed her to concentrate on the man sitting beside her.

"Last song," Edward warned as a yawn contorted Bella's face. She nodded, though part of her was somewhat scared of returning to bed and whatever dreams may await her, and then couldn't help but grin when the opening bars of Clair De Lune started.

"You know it?" Edward asked, noting her grin with his own growing.

"Debussy," Bella stated and Edward shook his head, muttering something under his breath.

"What?" She asked but Edward simply shook his head and smiled. For the first time in what felt like hours they sat in silence, allowing the music and not their voices to fill the air. Though she truly loved this piece of music Bella felt her eye lids drooping and more yawns over taking her. Edward finished the tune lightly before standing and pulling Bella to her feet.

"I'm not so tired I can't walk," she protested, even as her legs felt dead. Bella must have been really tired if she was complaining about any part of his body touching hers. She started up the stairs but felt Edward right behind her, his body heat warming her back.

"Just in case," he replied, his breath causing a shiver as he whispered into her ear, and Bella found herself wishing, for perhaps the first time in her life that she really would trip.

A/N – Thanks for reading, hope you liked it, drop me a line with your thoughts and stay tuned for the next chapter!


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer –Stephenie Meyer owns Twilight, I'm just borrowing the characters to have a little fun.

A/N – I am SO sorry that this story has been left alone for so long. I was extremely sick for about a year and after that writing was just not in the cards for me. I'm better now and back to writing but suffered massive writer's block for this story. So, yes this is an update and yes this story Will be completed but it will take time. I have another story I'm concentrating on right now, shameless plug – If You Go Into The Woods Today, and that will be the one I'm mainly updating but I will still work on this. I'm hoping that while I update IYGITWT weekly Guild will be updated every few weeks. That's the plan. I hope you guys can understand and I apologize for the long wait, this story will be completed it will just take longer than I thought. I hope you like this chapter.

Summary of Guild so far – Due to her father's work Bella is in danger from the mob and Charlie has entrusted her to a Guild of Assassins to keep her safe. The Cullens aren't exactly what Bella's expecting and she's slowly finding a place of comfort with them, especially with Alice and Esme. For some reason the other daughter Rosalie seems to hate Bella while Bella herself is somewhat fascinated with their son Edward. She's had a makeover, to help hide her, and she's slowly settling into a routine but she's yet to see anything of the Cullen's darker side, which Bella avoids thinking about. It's about to become unavoidable though.

Chapter Five

"Holy crow!" Bella gaped as Alice laughed. "I mean . . . holy crow!" She just couldn't believe it. This had to be part of a dream or story, the thriller/action/adventure that was now her life. Bella followed Alice down the staircase in a daze. She'd finally discovered where the mysterious outside door led to.

"Your version of a basement . . . is a ballroom!" Alice laughed again as she twirled onto the dance floor. Bella stopped on the last step and just stared.

That almost plain, ordinary-looking outside door led to a cloakroom which in turn led to a two-sided sweeping staircase, at the bottom of which was the beginning of the extensive dance floor. The dance floor of a ballroom. The room was cavernous with chandeliers lining the ceiling and beautiful stained glass windows along the top border. Half the floor was taken up with by small tables, each with their own ornamental lamp, and in the middle of the two staircases was what looked like a fully functional bar. Having seen the rest of the Cullen's house Bella shouldn't really be surprised by what she was seeing but still . . . a ballroom basement.

"I mean a ballroom?" Bella very carefully stepped onto the carpet border before stepping forward again onto the shiny black dance floor.

"Well, we have to entertain," Alice replied as if it were obvious. Bella turned slowly in a circle to take the room in. It was all blacks, reds and gold's. The word sleek instantly came to mind. "We're part of high society. Whether it's a hospital function or a social for our other 'occupation' we have to hold parties, so why not do it in style?"

"But this seems so unreal."

"I'll admit, when people first come in we get that reaction a lot. But Bella you have to remember, most people who come into this ballroom don't know about our 'occupation'. They know the public side of us. Carlisle's a world renowned doctor, Esme's a distinguished decorator, and I'm a designer whilst Rosalie's a model. And the boys, well, Emmett's a technical genius and both Jasper and Edward are valued academics. That's what people see and this," Bella watched as Alice gestured to the room around them, doing a neat spin she'd never be able to achieve, "this is what people expect. When you got it, you're supposed to flaunt it." Alice struck a pose and Bella smiled. Shaking her head to try and focus, she looked back around the room again.

"You said most," Bella asked slowly, trying to take in all the information she'd just received. Alice smiled knowingly.

"Yes, most. Our other profession quite like to have socials and to entertain. Get together, show off, gossip. That's who we're entertaining this Friday." Alice sounded almost casual as she mentioned that fact and Bella felt her stomach shift.

"You mean other . . . assas-people like you will be here?" Bella didn't look at Alice as she spoke, instead focusing on the patterns in the glass above her.

"Yes, a lot of people from the underworld we're part of will be here."

"Well, I hope you all have a lovely time. I'm guessing I won't be able to hear any of the music, and the like from in here, in the house so I guess I won't really be bothered by any of it." Alice surprised Bella by bursting into laughter and she stared at her in shock. She already felt queasy and nervous just at the thought of so many . . . murderers and thieves . . . being under her feet for the night, so Alice laughing at her was not helping.

"What," she snapped, her nerves starting to fray.

"Oh Bella, you'll be here with us!"

"What!" Bella repeated in shock, her brain refusing to understand Alice's words.

"You're part of our family, Bella, so you'll be with us. And I know what you must be thinking; wondering if it's safe. Jasper, Edward and Carlisle have already gone through all the pros and cons and all three think it'll be safe for you to come. Plus, it's agreed that if our colleagues see you as part of our family then they'll know the consequences of attempting to or helping anyone else to harm you. It'll be fine, Bella, I know that, and I also know we'll all have a wonderful time!"

"You know? Know how?" Bella asked, the queasiness in her stomach starting to rise.

"I just know," Alice stated.

"But Alice," Bella gasped as her feelings overtook her and she began to full-out panic, "I-I I can't dance!"

Alice had a plan for that. A few minutes later Bella stood in front of Jasper as Alice turned on the music system. Bella was going to learn how to dance. Properly, gracefully and elegantly. Those were Alice's words, not hers. She knew for sure the last two definitely did not apply to her in any way possible. Bella stared at Jasper with such trepidation that the blonde laughed. His amusement at the situation made Bella crack a smile but didn't help any with her nerves.

"Watch us first," Alice instructed, "then you'll have a go." Watching Alice and Jasper twirl gracefully across the dance floor just convinced Bella even more that she'd be terrible at this. Her confidence was boosted, as well, by stepping on Jasper's foot two steps into her first attempt.

"Relax Bella," Jasper laughed it off. "Let's count the steps aloud for the first few dances. One-two-three. One-two-three." They ended up counting aloud for the next hour and Bella was still stepping on Jasper's foot what seemed like every other step. Jasper just grinned and bared it while Alice called out 'helpful' advice from the sidelines.

She was not made to dance, that much was clear as Jasper attempted to lead her in the dance. Even learning the pattern her feet were supposed to follow separately didn't help, Bella still mixed her steps, and feet, up and frequently stepped on Jasper's toes.

"Can we stop for a bit?" Bella asked as they neared the two hour mark. Her feet hurt, her head ached from all the counting and Bella was sure her confidence would never recover if she stepped on Jasper's foot one more time. And if she wasn't mistaken, even Jasper was relieved at her words. As the blonde had been stating that her wayward feet hadn't been troubling him, Bella figured she must be really, really bad. And getting worse as time went on.

"Okay," Alice agreed, though it was obvious she was reluctant to do so. "We can break from the dance lessons and move onto the wardrobe!" That ominous proclamation resulted in Bella entering the 'sacred, sacred place'. Alice's wardrobe. Otherwise known as Alice's second bedroom. It had to be situated in a separate room because the 'cubby-hole' called a wardrobe in her bedroom was simply 'too small'.

It was safe to say Bella was terrified.

She remembered, all too well, Alice's words after their last shopping escapade. Bella had been on the verge of collapse after that day with Alice completely unaffected and stating how shopping for a ballroom dress would be 'tiring'. Luckily, they wouldn't be leaving the house to shop for dresses. Unluckily, they'd be entering Alice's personal wardrobe instead.

"We'll use some of my designs; it'll be a real family occasion with all of us girls in my creations." Alice's enthusiasm was catching and though Bella was loathe to do anything that would lead Alice into thinking she was enjoying herself, therefore be seen as a willing shopping partner, she did want to see Alice's designs. The petite woman always looked so stylish and put together, with her own twists on current styles. Or so Bella was told. She knew she wouldn't understand half of what Alice would tell her, design influence and the like, but Bella was feminine enough to ooh and ahh over pretty dresses, especially ones designed by her new friend.

"It's not full out black tie, so the boys will get out of wearing their tux's," Alice chatted as she led the way into the room. Bella felt a swell of disappointment at not being able to see Edward in a tux. She'd bet that was a sight to see and to drool over.

"Still, they'll look good in their suits. It's us girls that have to dress properly, evening gowns. I've got some ready-made and a few more still in the design process so we'll have to see what will suit and then get it ready in time." Alice was in her element as she talked, pulling dresses of racks as they moved deeper into the room as well as picking up swabs of fabric and carrying them with her. Sometimes, she'd even put the fabric up against Bella's cheek, either smiling at the result or replacing it back on its shelf. Bella just kept quiet, listening to Alice's mumbles and admiring her work. There was no doubt in Bella's mind that Alice was extremely talented.

Alice showed her Rosalie's dress for the event and Bella knew the blonde would look absolutely stunning in it. It was made of red satin, with a halter neck top that would expose her breasts and a line of, what had to be, real diamonds running just below the bust before flowing to the floor in a red shimmer. It was a gorgeous dress and Rosalie would be breathtaking in it.

Bella caught a glimpse of Esme's dress too and though Alice said it wasn't finished yet, something about it being lengthened to touch the floor, Bella still thought it was amazing. Done in a slightly older style, or so she was told, the gown was a cream material with a metallic-gold print. The neck line was a fairly high v-cut but the shoulders gave way to lose pieces of fabric that fell down behind the shoulders. Bella could just imagine the fabric swirling through the air as Esme and Carlisle danced.

"Which just leaves us," Alice stated with a smile before declaring none of the dresses in the wardrobe would do and that they'd have to go to her office to look at her most recent designs. Bella hadn't really been up to the second floor, as all it held were the spare bedrooms and the Cullen's offices and she had no business with either. Now though she'd be entering Alice's 'creative space' and Bella had to admit she was curious. She imagined it to be bright and colourful. She wasn't wrong.

A desk took up one end of the room whilst the other end held some kind of art easel. All along the wall were mannequins, in various states of dress, behind which were cupboards full of things Bella could only guess at. She'd gamble though it had nothing to do with Alice's darker side. Which brought about the question . . . where did they keep all that stuff? All their weapons and gadgets? They couldn't keep it in any old place, someone could inadvertently find it and it would take some explaining for having those possessions. Though, again, Bella had no idea of what kind, if any, the Cullen's possessed. She really knew very little about that side to them, which was how she wanted it . . . wasn't it?

"Oh Bella, I've found your dress!" Alice's exclaimed, breaking Bella's train of thought. The picture that greeted her made her gasp. The design, the dress was beautiful and never, in a million years, would it suit Bella. She wasn't the type of girl that could wear something like that. She was far too plain for a dress like that.

"It'll be perfect! All simple and elegant, like you!" Bella snorted at that and then blushed as Alice looked up. She smiled at Bella's dubious expression. "So you trip a little that does not mean you are not elegant. It just means you're elegant in your own way. Trust me." The design for Bella picked out, Alice started telling her about the process of creating the dress, and how it'd be tailor made for Bella, be Bella's dress alone. Questioning Alice on her own dress, the designer shrugged her shoulders with a slightly lasses-faire attitude Bella would not associate with Alice and fashion.

"It'll come to me," she'd stated confidently. She'd been right, as just a few hours later, after a comment from Bella about a broach on one of the mannequins; Alice had the design for her dress too.

"We're going to be the most gorgeous women there!" Alice declared and Bella had laughingly agreed, knowing that while she herself might not be gorgeous at least her dress would be.

So the next week was spent in a haze of dancing, dresses and preparation. Bella was still trying, and failing, to learn how to dance. Bless Jasper for trying. When she'd brought up his trauma Jasper had just grinned wickedly and replied that Alice believed in rewarding good behaviour. Those who worked hard got to play hard. Bella had been beet red for the next half hour and Jasper only had to wink at Bella during the following days to get her to flush.

Her dress, at the very least, was coming along and Bella had to admit she was fascinated watching Alice bring this sketch to life. She had to stand through multiple measuring but as Esme joined them frequently, the three of them spent the time chatting. Bella felt they were making the experience much more pleasant for her due to her other tasks for readying herself for this party.

She had to meet with both Carlisle and Jasper to go over every aspect of the event; from the times of arrivals to the signal of if she was uncomfortable to all possible escape routes. Bella's head spun with all the information. Jasper had given her multiple tours of the ballroom and gardens, showing her every exit and where, if she needed to use them, to go afterwards. "This house was designed for our safety; it's a place we can truly be ourselves within. Therefore, it's designed to keep people out, not in."

Carlisle, too, focused a lot of his discussion on her safety. He described the whole evening to her, what would be expected of her, who she was likely to meet and how she would be introduced. Obviously her real name could not be used, so Carlisle had invented a story of how Bella was a distant cousin of Esme's they were taking in. It kind of made sense, with her newly coloured hair Bella did resembled Esme closer than any of the other Cullens. She even had a new name, Bella Brandon. She had to keep repeating it in her head; afraid if she didn't she wouldn't recognize her supposed name when referred to.

It felt like every night Bella went to bed with a head that weighed a hundred pounds and every night she drifted off to sleep with Edward's music soothing her. Apart from the breakfast ritual, Bella had barely seen Edward all week and they had not talked apart from greetings. For some reason Bella had the distinct impression he was avoiding her. She had no idea why. He did seem to appear at the most opportune moments though, usually as she fell and so she always landed in his arms. There were no complaints about that from her and it just made her very, very glad Edward was no where around her when she danced.

She talked to Charlie two nights before, telling him all about the party and actually starting to regurgitate some of the dress-speak Alice had surrounded her with all week. Charlie had laughed and teased her about actually being and acting like a girl but Bella could tell he liked it. She was somewhat surprised to learn he already knew of the event, having received a phone call from Carlisle and been involved in the decision making that led to Bella's attendance.

"I want you safe, Bells, more than anything. But I also don't want you sacrificing your life, just sitting locked away in a room until the dangers passed. I trust Carlisle and if he says it's safe, it'll be safe. And if anything does happen, I know you're in good hands. You need to have fun while you can, kiddo, 'cause it won't be all fun and games to come."

"I know Dad, thank you. I'll even pose for a picture and we can send it to you, so you can see your little girl all dressed up."

"That'd be nice Bells, though I don't know how safe it'd be. Best ask Carlisle first. Still, even if I can't have the picture right now I'd like one when you get back home." Bella hadn't thought there were any problems with sending a photo home but she supposed with her new look, and if any of the Cullens were in the picture with her, the dots could be connected, that being something they did not want to happen.

"Okay Dad, we'll take lots of photos and you'll see them when I get back," Bella agreed.

"Good good. I'd best get off the phone; you'll need your sleep with all this excitement. Have fun Bells, and remember I love you." His soft words made Bella smile and she brought the duvet up as she burrowed deeper into bed.

"I love you too, Dad. Talk to you soon, take care."

"Goodnight Bells, sleep tight." Turning the phone off, Bella hoped she would. Tomorrow was sure to be long and exhausting, as she had her final dress fitting as well as more dance practise and the day and night after that were sure to be draining, both physically and emotionally. She'd be meeting others. Other murders and thieves. Her thoughts filled with dominatrix-looking women wielding guns whilst men with thin moustaches stalked around behind them in black capes. A train ran across her mind and Bella drifted off to sleep.

As she'd thought, the day before the ball was tiring and the Cullen household was hectic with movement. All of the activity around them didn't seem to distract Alice and she remained focused on Bella and her dress.

"It's finished, it's finished," Alice chanted as Bella stepped in front of the mirror in her friend's wardrobe room. Her dress was complete and Bella felt like a stranger just wearing it. She looked like a stranger too. "I knew it'd be perfect! We'll keep everything else simple, make-up and accessories but I think your hair should be up. I'll be right back!" Alice sped past her and Bella sighed. She ran her fingers over the soft material and followed the line of the dress to the floor, where her toes just peaked out. This dress was amazing and should be worn by a model, not someone like her.

The dress was a royal blue colour, flowing down the contours of her body onto the floor and held up only by two straps that originated from her left shoulder. One crossed at her back to the other side whilst some excess material created a swirl pattern across her breasts. It was gorgeous and Bella sighed again.

"You look beautiful," Edward's velvet voice stated and Bella's head shot up. Their eyes met in the mirror and Bella felt a blush take over her face. Holding his gaze as he moved closer, Bella tried to keep her body and breathing under control. She couldn't help a shiver, though, as Edward reached her and ran his fingertips up the fabric strap at her shoulder round to her back, where the fabric met the main body of the dress. One finger slipped under the strap and traced upwards, following the curve of her shoulder before skimming down her arm and entwining their fingers. Bella fought to breathe at his feather-light touch.

"Dance with me," he ordered, pulling on their joint hands to turn her to face him.

"Edward, I can't. . ." Bella murmured but stopped as he pulled her closer. She knew she should warn him properly about her failings but her voice, and breath, had left her.

"Just dance with me," he whispered back before starting to hum softly. His gaze locked her in and Bella just let go, relaxing into his hold and following his lead.

And she was dancing. They were dancing. It was easy, almost effortless with Edward leading her. Looking into his eyes, there was no need to count, mentally or verbally, and no stepping on Edward's feet. Their movements were smooth and graceful; it felt just like Bella had always imagined dancing properly should feel.

Their bodies brushed against each other as they moved, the steps easy and almost automatic, and Bella felt hyper aware of every millimetre of her body that touched Edwards'.

Edward hummed for several minutes, never breaking his gaze with Bella before slowly leading them into a stop. They stood for a long moment before Edward stepped back and sank into a low, old fashioned bow, bringing Bella's hand to his lips to kiss it.

Her hand tingled.

"You are simply stunning, Bella. You outshine all of us." Bella shook her head as Edward straightened.

"No, I don't even come close. Look at Alice and Rosalie. Look at you, Edward, even in jeans and a t-shirt you're gorgeous." Edward smiled wryly at her words and reached up to cup her cheek.

"I disagree. You are far brighter and more beautiful than any of us. You are exquisite." His words stunned her and Bella could only watch as Edward turned and exited the room. His words brought a flush to her body and spread warmth inside her . . . Edward thought she was _beautiful_ . . . yet her mind was unsettled. There had been something in his words, his tone of voice, something there but Bella didn't know what and as Alice bounded back into the room, she knew she couldn't figure it out right now. Edward Cullen was fast becoming a mystery to her, there was something in his words and manner recently that was niggling in the back of Bella's mind and she could say for sure that she'd try her hardest to find out what it was. Edward was a riddle Bella didn't mind studying at all.

A/N – Well, I hope you liked it. Tell me what you think! Chapter Six should be up in a couple of weeks, hopefully a fortnight, so I'll see you then.


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